June 17, 2016—Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vetoed House Bill 4344, which intended to update regulations in the Michigan Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act.
The bill used language that limited the use of aftermarket parts by mandating that an aftermarket part would have to be verified by a nationally- recognized automotive parts testing agency.
“Michigan’s aftermarket auto parts industry is strong because of its competition with the OEM’s,” Gov. Snyder said. “Enacting a law to prohibit mechanics from providing high quality and safe alternatives for customers is an inappropriate impediment on the competition that has resulted in both high quality OEM and aftermarket parts for Michigan drivers to enjoy.”
The Auto Care Association (ACA) joined an effort to defeat the bill in the legislature that was ultimately unsuccessful. ACA president and CEO Bill Hanvey wrote a letter to the governor saying, “As Michigan continues its comeback, it is imperative that we ensure all components of that industry can remain strong, including Michigan's robust aftermarket parts industry.” He also expressed concern about the bill’s effect on market competition.
“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,” Hanvey said. “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.”
