Only You Can Help Fight Vehicle Scrappage Legislation!

[pstone]

Attached is a letter that you can forward to your U.S. Senators that will let them know that you DO NOT support proposed vehicle scrappage legislation. You can find information about your U.S. Senators by visiting the official Senate site www.senate.gov. I urge all of you to take the time to complete this letter and forward to your Senators.

Sorry guys, my attachment didn't attach...

Here's the letter I tried to attach. You can copy it in to a text file and personalize it.

PLEASE DON’T DESTROY MY HOBBY!




Dear Senator:

I oppose Section 803 of Bill S.1766 currently before the U.S Senate.

This vehicle scrappage funding legislation has potential to not only destroy a multitude of
Classic automobiles, it would also eliminate a priceless source of parts that I, and thousands of other car enthusiasts, use to rebuild, restore, and customize our vehicles.

I urge you to vote against this legislation!


Sincerely

[Larry S.]

Well, I have to hang my head in shame on this one. One of the senators from New Mexico co-sponsored that bill! I'll definately remember it at the polls!

[rb77413]

OK I looked and with no luck on how to forward to my Senator. I live in AZ. Any suggestions?


Bob

[freak007]

here is a copy of the letter I e-mailed to my senators...


Dear Senator;
I oppose section 803 of Bill S.1766 currently before the United States Senate.

This vehicle scrappage funding legislation has potential to destroy not only a multitude of Classic automobiles,It would also eliminate a priceless source of parts that I and millions of other car enthusiasts use to repair,rebuild,restore,and coustomize our vehicles,without this source of parts our hobby,and in some peoples instances jobs,will come to an end.

I strongly urge you to vote against this legislation.
PLEASE DON'T DESTROY MY HOBBY!!!

Sincerely,






rb77413...try these links...
http://www.senate.gov/~kyl/
http://www.senate.gov/~mccain/



for a complete list of united states senators:
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm

[carlo]

Can anyone post the text of the original bill, or a link to it?

What is the bill attempting to do?

[carlo]

I found the text of the bill in question, for anyone who wants to read it for themselves.
The bill is probably not a good idea, but mainly because it's another spending bill. I'm not sure that it will hurt the collectors and restorers of old cars as much as implied in the original post on this thread.
The bill provides for government payment of owners of vehicles over 15 years old who turn them in for scrap. It also provides government payment to the people providing the scrappage service. There are two important definitions missing from the wording of the bill:
1. it doesn't say what "scrapping" means.
2. It doesn't specify who will be doing the "scrapping"

The two missing definitions have considerable relationship with each other, and impact on the result of the bill to us as car collectors.
Since it doesn't specifically create or designate some organization to do the "scrapping", we can expect that the "scrapping" will be performed by the people who are already doing that; auto recyclers (ie: wrecking yards).
Since we can safely assume that the people who are aleady in the business of "scrapping" cars will be handling the possible increase in number of cars taken off the road, I think it's also safe to assume that these people will do what they've always done with useable parts from "scrapped" cars, ie; sell them!
Read the bill for yourself! it doesn't say who is supposed to "scrap" the cars, and it doesn't say how they are supposed to do it. Nor does it specify what they are to do with parts salvaged from the cars.
In my opinion, this bill will not have much effect, if any, on our hobby/livelyhoods as restorers and collectors of old cars.
Urge a no vote on the bill because it's a huge waste of money (since it specifies running vehicles only as eligible, they have to offer enough money to keep the owners from just selling them), but not because it's going to ruin the old car business.

If you do use the letter provided in this thread, leave the wording alone, but add that it will be needlessly expensive for the number of cars that may be turned in, since they will be competing with the used car market to obtain these still serviceable vehicles. Might appeal to some of the anti tax republicans out there.

Here's the section of the bill in question:

SEC. 803. ASSISTANCE FOR STATE PROGRAMS TO RETIRE FUEL-INEFFICIENT MOTOR VEHICLES.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the `National Motor Vehicle Efficiency Improvement Program,' under which the Secretary shall provide grants to States to operate programs to offer owners of passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks manufactured in model years more than 15 years prior to the fiscal year in which appropriations are made under subsection (d) to provide financial incentives to scrap such automobiles and to replace them with automobiles with higher fuel efficiency.

(b) STATE PLAN- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of an appropriations act containing funds authorized under subsection (d), to be eligible to receive funds under the program, the Governor of a State shall submit to the Secretary a plan to carry out a program under this subtitle in that State.

(c) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA- The Secretary shall approve a State plan and provide the funds under subsection (d), if the State plan--

(1) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be scrapped;

(2) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be currently registered in the State in order to be eligible;

(3) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be operational at the time that they are turned in;

(4) restricts automobile owners (except not-for-profit organizations) from turning in more than one passenger automobile and one light-duty truck in a 12-month period;

(5) provides an appropriate payment to the person recycling the scrapped passenger
automobile or light-duty truck for each turned-in passenger automobile or light-duty truck;


(6) provides a minimum payment to the automobile owner for each passenger automobile and light-duty truck turned in; and

(7) provides, in addition to the payment under paragraph (6), an additional credit that may be redeemed by the owner of the turned-in passenger automobile or light-duty truck at the time of purchase of new fuel-efficient automobile.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary, to remain available until expended.

(e) ALLOCATION FORMULA- The amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (d) shall be allocated among the States on the basis of the population of the States as contained in the most recent reliable census data available from the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, for all States at the time that the Secretary needs to compute shares under this subsection.

(f) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) AUTOMOBILE- The term `automobile' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(3) of title 49, United States Code.

(2) Fuel-efficient automobile-

(A) The term `fuel-efficient automobile' means a passenger automobile or a light-duty truck that has an average fuel economy greater than the average fuel economy standard prescribed pursuant to section 32902 of title 49, United States Code, or other law, applicable to such passenger automobile or light-duty truck.

(B) The term `average fuel economy' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(5) of title 49, United States Code.

(C) The term `average fuel economy standard' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(6) of title 49, United States Code.

(D) The term `fuel economy' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(10) of title 49, United States Code.

(3) LIGHT-DUTY TRUCK- The term `light-duty truck' means an automobile that is not a passenger automobile. Such term shall include a pickup truck, a van, or a four-wheel-drive general utility vehicle, as those terms are defined in section 600.002-85 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.

(4) PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE- The term `passenger automobile' has the meaning given such term by section 32901(16) of title 49, United States Code.

(5) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Energy.

(6) STATE- The term `State' means any of the several States and the District of Columbia.

[ehostler]

Originally posted by rb77413
OK I looked and with no luck on how to forward to my Senator. I live in AZ. Any suggestions?


Bob

From http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm

Kyl, Jon (R - AZ)
http://www.senate.gov/~kyl/
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4521
info@kyl.senate.gov

McCain, John (R - AZ)
http://www.senate.gov/~mccain/
241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2235
john_mccain@mccain.senate.gov

[ehostler]

Although the Commonwealth of Virginia has voted against such actions, in the past, I have expressed my concerns to Senator Warner and Senator Allen.

Let's come together and stop this from happening.

[rb77413]

Thanks for the contact info. Law is always very wordy.

[ehostler]

I received a response from Senator Warner, in my mail today.

After reading this letter, it would appear the there are so many other good things in S.1766 that our concerns really don't matter.