Congress Set to Tackle RPM Act

CORRECTION: The RPM Act was subject of a hearing on Tuesday held by the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. Chris Kersting, president and CEO of SEMA, testified during the hearing to support passage of the Senate bill. The Subcommittee on Environment will hold a markup session for the House version of bill on Wednesday. Kersting is not scheduled to testify at that hearing.

Click to read additional updates from Kersting’s testimony on Tuesday.

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The first major legislative action involving the RPM Act is set to occur Tuesday. The Subcommittee on Environment, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Illinois), will hear testimony about the bill before a markup session ensues. A markup session typically features debate and the possibility of amendments being placed onto the bill.

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2017 (RPM Act) currently has 140 sponsors (124 Republicans and 16 Democrats) from 36 different states. The bill, introduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina), would amend the Clean Air Act to allow the modification of a vehicle’s air emission controls if the vehicle is used solely for competition.

The RPM Act was introduced on Jan. 6 before being referred to the Subcommittee on Environment on Jan. 25. The subcommittee is part of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill was originally introduced in 2016 but Congress was recessed before any action could occurr, requiring its reintroduction this year.

Subcommittee on Environment members include Rep. Shimkus, Rep. Paul Tonko (D- New York), Rep. David McKinley (R-West Virginia), Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-California), Rep. Scott Peter (D-California), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Mississippi), Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado), Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas), Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-California), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-California), Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Rep. Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan), Rep. Doris Matsui (D-California), Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia), and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon).