Arkansas adopts SEMA custom car title legislation
Filed under: Aftermarket, Time Warp, Trends, Government/Legal
We recently reported how SEMA had helped get new kit and custom car registration legislation passed in Virginia. Well, the razorbacks didn't want their Southern rivals to get too far ahead and recently passed a similar bill of their own. Arkansas made changes to their vehicle titling and registration classifications for street rods and created a new class for custom vehicles too. The bill was recently signed into law by Governor Mike Beebe after being approved by the Arkansas State Legislature. Arkansas now defines a street rod as "an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949" and a custom as "an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948." And like the Virginia law, kit cars and replicars will get tagged as being the same model year as the car they aim to replicate. So a freshly built '32 Ford would be a 1932 Ford, and a new Cobra would be a 1960's car on the books. Arkansas' new law also allows non-original materials to be used, allocates special license plates for this class of vehicles, and lets builders use blue dot taillights. Street rods and customs will also be exempt from many of the standard equipment requirements and emissions controls. Things like catalysts and seatbelts will only have to meet period requirements. As is the case in Virginia as well, the kits and customs that are titled and registered this way will have mileage restrictions, but they tend to be limited use vehicles anyways.
[Source: Auto Spectator]
The Detroit News is reporting that the United Auto Workers union is hosting a town hall meeting for workers at Toyota's manufacturing plant in Kentucky this Saturday. Not an organization known to mince words, the UAW has labeled the meeting's topic as "The Human cost of Toyota's Success". A press release issued about the meeting states that workers will talk about on-the-job injuries, the use of temps, and concerns about conditions at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. In attendance will be UAW Vice President Terry Thurman.
Problem is, we've never heard of these gross injustices being perpetrated against workers employed by foreign automakers. Perhaps that's because these workers have never had an organized voice before, but it could also be because their jobs are no worse or better than those under the umbrella of the UAW at domestic automakers. Truly, we really don't know which is the case and are very interested in what the workers at Toyota's assembly plant in Kentucky have to say. 
GM's 
