As of this writing, we are more than halfway through the legislative year and have recently completed crossover, the deadline when all bills must have their vote by the full chamber from which they originated. It has been a busy session with action here at the Statehouse in Concord and in D.C.
In February, Governor Chris Sununu delivered his budget address and announced more money for education than ever before. NH schools will see an additional $200M over the next two years. We are continuing to monitor this address and will continue to report on how it will impact the motor vehicle industry.
On the federal level, we’ve been monitoring Congressman Chris Pappas’ Safe, Modern Trucks Act to repeal the 12% federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks and trailers. The 12% tax on heavy trucks is the highest excise tax levied on any product in the country and could add $15,000–$30,000 to the cost of new heavy trucks, trailers, semitrailer chassis, and tractors for highway use.
In NH, we are supporting a bill relative to catalytic converter theft, an issue felt nationwide. While each state has dealt with this issue differently, NH’s proposed legislation is largely modeled after Massachusetts where the goal is to close off the illegal marketplace without overburdening motor vehicle businesses. It will also place various record-keeping requirements on catalytic converter and scrap metal dealers that would assist law enforcement in the event of theft.
We are happy to report that the proposed bill to eliminate the annual safety inspection requirement for non-commercial vehicles was recently retained. This is not our first run-in with this legislation and our opposed stance on it has not changed.
On the regulatory front, our partnerships with our state agencies remain strong. We would like to congratulate Department of Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn and Assistant Commissioner Eddie Edwards who were renominated for a four-year term, as well as newly confirmed Assistant Commissioner Steve Lavoie.
We would also like to acknowledge and thank Assistant Safety Commissioner Rick Bailey, who before his role as Assistant Safety Commissioner was the Director of the DMV, for his years of dedicated service. NHADA worked collaboratively with Rick for over 10 years. We sincerely congratulate him and wish him all the best in his retirement.
Lastly, we have continued to work closely with the DMV as they explore the electronic lien and electronic title processes, which could improve title processing with technology that creates greater collateral management efficiency.
