The Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA) and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) issued a statement late yesterday applauding Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for his veto of HB 4344, “The Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act,” citing concerns about the measure’s negative impact on the automotive aftermarket industry. AASA and MERA are divisions of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
In his letter to Michigan legislators, Snyder said, “I am unable to sign this bill because it overreaches in the limitation of aftermarket parts negatively impacting consumers and creating the potential for negative consequences for Michigan’s automotive industry.”
“We commend Governor Snyder for this veto, which ensures motorists’ freedom of choice about their vehicle’s service and repair,” said Bill Long, AASA president and chief operating officer. “This is a major victory for our members, who spoke out against this measure and the harmful impact it would have had on the jobs and economic contributions that the full service aftermarket suppliers make to Michigan’s economy.”
MEMA and its market segment associations, particularly MERA, were active in the past several weeks voicing their concerns and encouraging members to reach out to the Michigan legislature. On June 15, aftermarketNews ran this commentary from John Chalifoux, MERA president and chief operating officer, on why HB 4344 should not become law.
“Governor Snyder’s action today preserves consumer choice and ensures robust and open competition in Michigan’s automotive service and repair sector,” said Chalifoux. “I am proud of our members who effectively voiced their concerns about the bill’s potential to impede competition and limit access to high quality remanufactured parts for Michigan drivers.”
Snyder’s letter announcing the veto noted the important contributions of the aftermarket and remanufacturing to Michigan’s economy. “As Michigan continues its comeback and continues to be a leader in promoting new technology in the automotive industry, it is imperative that we ensure all components of that industry can remain strong, including Michigan’s robust aftermarket parts industry.”
The full text of the governor’s letter is available here.
The Auto Care Association yesterday also issued a statement applauding Gov. Synder’s veto of the bill. The association stated that it earlier joined a number of other groups in an unsuccessful grassroots effort to defeat the bill.
“We had a tremendous effort from the industry to communicate directly with the governor’s office and I have to thank everyone who took the time to personally write the governor,” said Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association. “We worked hard to sit down with the stakeholders early on in this process, but those efforts did not produce the compromise we were seeking, and we are very grateful that Governor Snyder had the astute ability to get to the heart of the matter and send this bill back to the legislature.”