By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
SEMA and PRI must share that despite strong Congressional backing and extraordinary support from the racing community, the 2021–2022 Congressional session is ending without passage of the RPM Act.
Key negotiators in Congress could not reach an agreement on bill language that balanced the need for federal law to protect racers and motorsports parts businesses from EPA enforcement with reasonable measures to ensure that race parts are not used on vehicles driven on roads and public highways.
The RPM Act made incredible progress in the 2021–2022 session of Congress. In addition to more than 1.5 million letters advocating for the RPM Act from the grassroots motorsports community to Congress, SEMA and PRI worked with Richard Petty to meet personally with key lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and with NHRA Top Fuel driver Antron Brown to testify before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
SEMA and PRI thank the RPM Act’s lead sponsors, the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee and the House Energy & Commerce Committee for their efforts to advance the RPM Act over the course of this year. Their leadership was integral throughout this process, despite the outcome.
“We wouldn’t have made it this far without this incredible effort by so many of our members,” said SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “The RPM Act was one of the most bipartisan bills in the 117th Congress with more than 165 lawmakers co-sponsoring the legislation. SEMA and PRI will leverage the momentum we built during this congressional session, assess the current challenges the industry faces and chart a new path forward for the industry’s advocacy efforts at both the federal and state levels.
SEMA/PRI will continue its advocacy work to bring needed certainty to the racing community to protect a great American pastime and hundreds of thousands of jobs in communities throughout the country.
For updates and information, visit www.saveourracecars.com.