The ability to use photographs and videos to prepare auto insurance appraisals of physical damage is one step closer in Virginia as both House and Senate pass companion bills. Both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate passed companion bills allowing the use of photos in auto physical damage appraisals. Virginia House Bill 870 was […]
U.S. House Holds Hearing on Legislation to Limit Auto Part Design Patents
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, under the Judiciary Committee, held a hearing Tuesday on H.R. 1057, the Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, and Sales (PARTS) Act. The legislation seeks to limit the length of time automotive collision repair parts can be protected from infringement of design patents to 30 months […]
Virginia Senate Committee Approves Photo Appraisal Bill
The Virginia Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor approved Senate Bill 193, that would allow the use of photos and video to be used in place of a personal inspection during the automobile insurance claim process. Originally introduced in January, the committee approved a substitute bill on Monday by a vote of 15-0, that expanded […]
PA Senate Hears Testimony on Bill Allowing Use of Photos During Auto Appraisal Process
Insurers support use of photos as modest and logical amendment to 1972 Appraiser Act. Repair facility operators raise safety concerns. The Pennsylvania Senate Banking & Insurance Committee heard testimony from insurers, repairers, appraisers and technology providers on House Bill 1638 (HB1638) at a hearing on the bill held Wednesday. HB1638 proposes to amend the 1972 […]
PARTS Act Hearing Scheduled for February 2 in U.S. House
The U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and the Internet has scheduled a hearing on H.R. 1057, the “Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, and Sales Act” commonly referred to as the PARTS Act. The hearing in Washington, D.C. is scheduled for February 2 at 2 p.m. in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. […]
Oklahoma Bill Seeks to Mandate Annual Labor Rate Surveys
Auto insurance companies would be required to conduct annual market surveys to determine rates paid to collision repair and glass repairers. Oklahoma House Bill 3132 (HB3132), filed yesterday by Representative Josh Cockroft, seeks to amend the state’s Unfair Claims Settlement Act to require insurance companies to survey collision repair and glass facilities on an annual […]
Career Technical Education Associations Applaud Every Student Succeeds Act
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) applauded Congress and President Obama on the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a law reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which includes Career Technical Education (CTE) as a core […]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Approves Photo-Video Appraisal, Counterfeit Airbag Bills
Proposals to amend the Commonwealth’s 1972 Appraisers Act that requires physical inspections of collision damaged vehicles and make the sale an installation of non-functioning airbags illegal approved. Yesterday, two pieces of legislation touching upon the collision repair industry in Pennsylvania were approved by the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives in floor votes. House Bill 1638 (HB1638) […]
Hearing Held for Michigan Bill to Ban Insurer-Mandated Procurement Processes
Proponents and opponents of pending legislation that would restrict an insurer’s ability to mandate specific collision repair procurement processes had a chance to outline their positions before the Michigan Senate Committee on Insurance. The Michigan Senate Committee on Insurance held a hearing Wednesday, December 2 on Senate Bill 430 (SB430) that proposes to restrict an […]
Bill to Abolish Massachusetts Appraiser Licensing Board Scheduled for Hearing Tomorrow
Proposed legislation would eliminate the independent body charged with regulation of appraisers. Non-OEM parts and repair facility choice disclosure bill also to be heard. A bill to abolish the Massachusetts Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board, (ADALB) before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Financial Services, is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, December 1 at 11 […]