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As summer heat continues to pound down all over the country, the Specialty Equipment Market Association is pounding the pavement hard, fighting for legislative fairness when it comes to rules and regulations that could affect the off-road hobby. Check out what SEMA is fighting for and against this month in this Law & Order update below!

To mix things up this month, we’re going to start off with the one federal update we have, which will affect all new vehicle owners progressively through 2018.

Coming from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we have a change in required equipment for all new vehicles, including trucks and SUVs, with full compliance required by 2018. By 2018, all manufacturers will be required to put backup cameras on all vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less.

Although some form of backup equipment has been required on new vehicles since 2008, many vehicle manufacturers still use sensors, mirrors or other devices besides cameras for their backup systems. But due to NHTSA research on the safest and most effective type of system, all vehicles will be required to have backup cameras with a 10 by 20-foot field of view and a dash display by May 1, 2018.

State Updates

The first major topic we’re seeing in this month’s updates is license plates. In New Hampshire, legislation to allow vehicles from 1975 or older to use year-of-manufacture plates has been approved by the House and now goes on for approval by the Senate. Currently, vehicles manufactured in 1960 or before are the only ones allowed to use such plates, ruling out the use on off-road favorites like the Scout and Suzuki Jimny.

In Wisconsin, similar legislation was introduced and approved, allowing vehicles from the 1979 model year or before to display year-of-manufacture plates while being driven to or from a car show or parade. The bill now moves to the governor for his signature into law. Wisconsin vehicle owners taking advantage of this new law will have to carry current plates for the vehicle as well, however.

In Michigan, historic military vehicles will not be required to display a license plate if they were not originally manufactured with a license plate bracket. Under the law signed into affect by Governor Rick Snyder, historic military vehicles without exterior plate brackets will still have to have a plate in the vehicle, however.

In Washington, a bill that would have allowed the issuance of a single license plate for vehicles manufactured without a front bracket died when legislature adjourned.

Unfortunately, the bill was given no consideration before the end of the legislative year.

Finally on the license plate front, two bills in Maryland failed to meet the deadline for consideration, and both died when legislature adjourned for the year. One SEMA-opposed bill would have upped the age requirement for vehicles registered as collector vehicles and eligible for collector plates for 20 to 25 years, while the other, a SEMA-supported bill, would have allowed the issuance of a single plate to historic vehicles.

Another trending topic is emissions. In Arizona, state regulators are currently working to update the state’s air-quality plan so that a law passed in 2011, which would exempt all pre-1974 vehicles from emission testing, can be implemented (based on the demonstration that this exemption will not decrease the air quality in the state). In order for the law to be implemented, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must approve the updated air-quality plan.

In Delaware, legislation introducing a similar exemption, this time for reconstructed vehicles, has been approved by the house and Senate Safety Committee now moves to the Senate floor for approval. If approved, the bill would allow for the exemption of emissions testing for reconstructed vehicles 25 years or older, but would limit such vehicles to occasional use and just 1,000 miles per year.

Exhaust systems have also been a hot-button topic so far this year, with many states trying to give hobbyists the ability to equip their vehicles with aftermarket systems. Unfortunately, bills aiming for such in both Virginia and West Virginia died when their respective legislatures adjourned for the year.

The final trend in updates this month is the declaration of an official Collector Car Appreciation Day. In British Columbia, July 12 has been designated Collector Car Appreciation Day with the whole month of July being Collector Car Appreciation Month. In Louisianan, the second weekend of July has been designated Collector Car Appreciation Weekend.

A few details to end things–New Hampshire is trying to approve a law that no one can sell gasoline with more than 10 percent ethanol in it. The bill still needs to be considered by the senate, and if enacted, would need to see two other New England states follow suit to take effect.

Minnesota is working on their pilot program to transition from gas taxes to mileage fees. Because more and more vehicles are being manufactured with hybrid, high MPG ratings and electronic versions, Minnesota is trying to come up with other ways to get revenue other than decreasing amounts of gas tax money.

The heat is on this summer, but SEMA and the SEMA Action Network (SAN) has you covered. Be sure to stay up to date with legislation that could effect you by joining SAN and continuing to review our monthly SEMA Law & Order updates!