Navigating State Legislation and Its Impact on the Auto Care Industry

Host, Stacey Miller, VP of Communications at the Auto Care Association, as she unravel the complexities of state legislation and its sweeping effects on the auto care industry with Dan Colegrove, partner at PRISM Group, who shares his expertise on navigating the intricate world of state government affairs. Discover how businesses, especially small ones, can stay ahead in the fast-paced legislative environment that sees countless bills introduced annually, impacting everything from taxes to business operations. Through PRISM Group's collaboration with the Auto Care Association, learn about the pivotal strategies employed to monitor and address the most critical legislative changes that matter to industry stakeholders.

Dive into the larger narrative of state-level legislative trends with a focus on advocacy, AI regulation, and the post-COVID budget landscape. This conversation highlights the democratic process, emphasizing the power of constituent voices in shaping legislation. Explore how new state laws are transforming industries, with particular attention to chemical and packaging regulations in states like Colorado and California. Addressing the urgent issue of catalytic converter theft, we shed light on the legislative measures aimed at combating this growing problem. Plus, gain insight into how job creation and workforce development through apprenticeships are becoming central themes in state-level legislation, underscoring the importance of active participation in shaping the future of industries and communities alike.

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Transcript

State Legislation Impacting Auto Industry

Stacey Miller 0:13

Welcome to Auto Care ON AIR , a candid podcast for a curious industry . I'm Stacey Miller , Vice President of Communications at the Auto Care Association , and this is Traction Control , where we chat about recent news from the global to the local level and what it may mean to the industry , featuring guests on the front lines . Let's roll All right . Welcome back to another episode of Traction Control . I have with me here Dan Colgrove , and he is a partner at the PRISM Group , which is a great partner of the Auto Care Association . They're really working to help ensure that our members understand what's going on at the state level and how it affects their businesses . So thank you so much , dan , for being here .

Dan Colgrove 0:56

Stacey , thank you for inviting me .

Stacey Miller 0:58

Fantastic . So tell me a little bit about you and about PRISM Group and the work that you're doing for Auto Care Association and really the industry at large .

Dan Colgrove 1:09

Thanks , happy to . Well , I'm a partner in a firm called Prism Group , p-r-i-s-m as in Mary , not prison , even though we're based in Washington DC . It's important to make that distinction . Prism Group we are what we call a public affairs firm . Some people the old school term might be lobbying firm and we do some lobbying , as people understand it , but we're really more about public affairs , making our clients visible and making decision makers , lawmakers , aware of what it is that they do . And we do it for a variety of folks and for about two years now I think we've been very happy to be associated with the Auto Care Association . Great folks , as you know very well , really enjoyed getting to know not just the leadership team but also all the members as we encounter them . Really great , great stories . To tell my background and how , why I'm here is , although I'm based in Washington DC , I've been here for a long time and do some things on Capitol Hill and around town with Congress .

Dan Colgrove 2:13

Really , my background is in state government affairs US state government affairs in the US and I have worked in them all and still do , and we have a team that supports auto care associations , government affairs teams , specifically when it comes to state issues , which can matter a lot .

Stacey Miller 2:36

If you have a few minutes .

Dan Colgrove 2:37

I'd be happy to talk to you about why .

Stacey Miller 2:39

Absolutely , because there's a lot to keep track of . Normally , traction control , we keep track of what's happening , breaking news , how could it affect the aftermarket and then we kind of dissect it and bring in an expert to talk about it and what we realized on the state level is that there are so many different issues and they change every single day . So , yes , please , we'd love to elaborate more on that .

Dan Colgrove 3:02

You got it Well . I love working in state government affairs . Why , dan ? Why is that ? Because I'm a glutton for punishment , and what I mean is , you know , we joke around a lot , and it's sadly sort of true , about how Congress really doesn't . Congress doesn't do much , and it kind of is true , and that's not necessarily a bad thing when they're not doing anything , but Congress moves much more slowly and deliberately . We all know that . State governments , on the other hand , are sort of the flip side , and I know a lot of the folks listening today have probably had some experience in state and local government as well as interacting with their members of Congress .

Dan Colgrove 3:41

States are terrific State legislatures , with their members of Congress . States are terrific state legislatures . There's 50 of them what a surprise . With almost no exceptions , they all have active legislative sessions every year . Usually , they start up at the beginning of the year , so in January . Coming up in a few months it's going to be just nutso because they all convene , they all move much more quickly . Some of them move very quickly . You'll have states , including large states , with entire legislative sessions that consist of 90 days Wow .

Dan Colgrove 4:19

Wow is right and you think , well , great , then they'll be out of here in a hurry 90 days . Well , yes , they will . The problem is they can and do move very quickly . It's quite easy to introduce a piece of legislation in the state house . Just about anyone can do it , as long as you have someone to help draft it drafted . So , in any given year say 2025 , on all topics , there will be , oh boy , upward of half a million bills introduced around the states .

Stacey Miller 4:57

Are you kidding ?

Dan Colgrove 4:58

No , I'm not . I mean , I'm kind of pulling that out of air , but I don't think it's an exaggeration , because it's very easy to introduce legislation Now . It doesn't mean all those things are going to pass , quite the opposite but a lot of them get heard , a lot of them have hearings and debates and they gain attention . And if the ones that affect your business , in this case the aftermarket and repair business , you really have to keep an eye on them .

Dan Colgrove 5:26

You have to know what matters and what doesn't matter . So I like to engage with the states , but it's very challenging . It is very challenging when you're trying to keep an eye on all of them , but it matters . These things directly impact the pocketbooks of businesses , particularly small businesses , I mean not just the large companies . It impacts everything you do and you know there are taxes that they do or restrictions that they want to put on how you do your business or what sort of parts you can acquire or ingredients you can utilize . It all makes a big difference and it can happen quickly .

Dan Colgrove 6:19

It all makes a big difference and it can happen quickly and it can happen in a way that if you're a national business , it really doesn't matter if it happens in a state like Vermont , you can operate if you're operating in that state . You need to know these things and that's hopefully where we come in . Along with the staff at AutoCare , the great staff is to try and identify the things that are moving and are moving quickly and are going to be impactful elaborating on that .

Stacey Miller 6:48

I mean , it blows my mind how many bills that you guys track and every week we see , all right , here's 100 and something bills that we're tracking on behalf of the auto care industry the next week . You know , these bills move , these bills didn't . This one was killed , this and it's . It's a lot , especially when it comes to figuring out does it impact my business if I , if I own a business in multiple states , if I'm shipping across state lines . It's a lot to sort through . But can you elaborate a little bit on why it is so easy for the states to introduce legislation ? Because obviously here at AutoCare we've done lots of state legislation right to repair you've heard about on the podcast . But why is it so easy at the state level and why do folks go state versus federal ?

Dan Colgrove 7:29

Well it's . You know . States , or some state legislatures , have been referred to in the past frequently as the laboratories of democracy in the United States . It's to your question why is it so easy ? Because it is .

Dan Colgrove 7:46

It's generally not hard to come up with an idea , or be given an idea by people like me or others and thinking , gee , that sounds like a good idea if you're a legislator , and then turning that idea into a piece of proposed legislation , a law , proposed law . It's just not hard to do . Now , like I said , the hundreds of thousands of bills get introduced every year on all sorts of topics . We don't track them all , we have to sort of triage them a little bit on your behalf , but it's just easy to do it . Easier to do it in the states .

Dan Colgrove 8:28

Lots of things get introduced in Congress too , but they never see the light of day . They may well see the light of day . You know . There are some state legislatures where every bill is guaranteed a public hearing . Wow , every topic , and even the ones that you know are dead on arrival , so to speak , are going to at least make some news because people are talking about it . Well , if they're making news this year , next year they might be making real news . So they're just quick and fast moving and really have to try and know what's important to you and you really have to try and know what's important to you , right , that makes sense .

Stacey Miller 9:06

And you know there's this thought that maybe things that are introduced at the state level they can help on a federal level , because obviously the federal level moves a little bit more slowly , it's more costly . Talk a little bit about that and the relationship between the two , if there is a relationship .

Dan Colgrove 9:30

There is a relationship . There is a relationship it's a great question um between what happens on a on state legislative level and here in congress . Uh , it sort of goes back and forth , um , right to repair . You know we haven't talked much about that today , but that's . That's maybe a good example about an issue that's been percolating around and got traction in the states . If you have traction , you like that , yeah .

Amber Andracsek 9:52

I worked that in on purpose .

Dan Colgrove 9:56

But it got attention in the states to the point where it was debated in a number of states and of course the right to repair became law in a couple of states Maine and Massachusetts via ballot initiative .

Dan Colgrove 10:08

Well , that placed pressure on Congress and although unfortunately the legislation here was , we were unable to get it across the finish line in Congress this year . I think it had a big impact because members of Congress now they know the issue . It's kind of coming up from below , they're conversing on it . They know it's a topic of interest to a lot of the constituents back home because it's being talked about in state capitals . So it does have an impact and it's important . So many members of Congress came from local government or state government they like to be in even though they're in Congress . We know the jokes about members of Congress not knowing what's going on back home .

Dan Colgrove 10:52

Well , I think the ex-members of Congress are the ones who don't pay attention to what's going back home , because that's why they're ex-members of Congress . Most of them want to know what's going on back in their districts and back in their home states and issues like this . This is a ripe issue . There's a great relationship between it goes back and forth between Congress and state legislatures .

Dan Colgrove 11:16

And it provides one final thought on that , it provides a lot of opportunities for members of the association to have some real impacts Because , again , they want to know what's important to not just constituents but particularly constituents that are creating and sustaining jobs .

Stacey Miller 11:42

Absolutely . There's a lot of opportunity to engage here .

Stacey Miller 11:44

Absolutely . I mean what I mean right to repair is obviously the example that we consistently go back to because , you know , 10 years ago maybe people didn't quite know as much about right to repairs , particularly at the federal level . And as the conversation started bubbling up in the States not just in automotive but we heard right to repair for consumer electronics , for agriculture , for medical equipment , colorado , new York , california right , and then our bills I feel like that really helped us at the federal level because those state levels were talking about it and bubbling that up to the surface . So just really proof of how effective and important that relationship is between state and federal . I really love that we touched on that .

Dan Colgrove 12:30

You know to maybe go a little bit off to the side here . I opened up in talking about public affairs and lobbying and personally I kind of prefer the term advocacy these days as opposed to lobbying .

Dan Colgrove 12:48

It's nothing wrong with lobbying , but that's sort of in many people's minds is the image of people like myself going in the back room and closing the door with the member and doing something nefarious . We don't do that by way , it's a cliche . But advocacy is different . Advocacy is more broad and it's to what we were just speaking about . It's the opportunity for what we call grassroots , the association members and people like that to have some impacts on having these decision makers make decisions that we think are the right ones .

Dan Colgrove 13:30

That's advocacy , and that's every bit as effective as someone like myself having a one-on-one with a member or a governor or something like that .

Stacey Miller 13:39

I love , love , love that you brought that up and

State Legislation and Business Impact

Stacey Miller 13:42

that definition . That's probably the soundbite of the episode , quite frankly , because when people talk to us about advocacy , government affairs , you know , lobbying always gets a weird look . Government affairs gets a weird look because , yeah , there's a certain perception about it , but when you , you know , kind of boil it down to it's just talking about your business and how it impacts you at the business level , at the personal level . It's just talking about your business and how it impacts you at the business level , at the personal level , you know , and sharing the facts . It's really not that difficult , not as nefarious . It's not about taking sides but you personally , as a constituent , being a part of that conversation and that's why it's so important .

Stacey Miller 14:19

You know , prime example being there are really large organizations who lobby and spend lots of money and have lots of backdoor meetings , but you know the will of the consumer , the constituents , you know , knock on wood , normally prevails and that's such a big part of our American democratic process .

Stacey Miller 14:36

So thanks to everybody who , listening , has been an advocate for right to repair , any of the other policies that have been going on . It's your voices , that that the that the Congress folk want to hear . So I want to shift the focus from right to repair and you know we're here to talk about state issues and the last time I looked at our state report , which is on auto careorg , there was something like over 100 issues . So I don't want to pinpoint any any specific one , but I think there are some trends in the type of state legislation that we're seeing more often or a higher volume of . So what are a couple of those ? I think you know workforce is one , apprenticeships and trades , some environmental emissions , waste . Can you talk about some of the trends that are happening at the state level right now ?

Dan Colgrove 15:28

Yes , happy to . The first thing to know is that we're now halfway through October when this is being recorded and most state legislatures almost all of them are in recess or have adjourned for the year . There's still a few going Pennsylvania , new Jersey , places like that . Most are done for now but it's not really quite because they're planning and making decisions about what they want to discuss next year . And again , most of them come in January and ready to go .

Dan Colgrove 16:03

So there's already a process in place in many states called pre-filing what it sounds like they're pre-filing legislation to discuss when they come back , so now's a good time to talk about trends . What we saw this year and what I think means for next year Large 50,000-foot level trends that may have some impacts on the industry are things like AI regulation , which we don't really think about . What does that mean about me ? Well , because it impacts , perhaps , what sort of data can be shared in websites or collected .

Dan Colgrove 16:39

That's going to be a big , big , big issue in many states next year is trying to grapple with restrictions on , on AI or what it even is . Legislators are generalists . Mostly speaking . They , like you and me , they know a little bit about a lot of things , and when it comes to something like artificial intelligence , they most probably know a little bit about nothing . I don't I mean it's hard to understand . A little bit about nothing about that , I don't , I mean it's hard to understand , but that's been a big issue .

Dan Colgrove 17:09

So that's a 50,000-foot issue Still sort of dealing with post-COVID . That's another 50,000-foot issue . In many states their budgets were kind of hit hard the first year of COVID . A lot of federal money got pumped into the states so suddenly it was boom times in the states .

Amber Andracsek 17:31

Well , that money is now ending .

Dan Colgrove 17:33

So a number of states are looking at tightening the belts less money California is one that's going to have some ongoing budget problems next year . That matters because they start looking around to see what they can cut or what they can hopefully not , but what they perhaps might have to tax . Those are the kind of the big trends . What matters , what's more important for some of the folks listening to this recording again , that's how we kind of keep an eye on how we distill 100,000 bills into 100 is sort of by chatting with people like you and the members , and figuring out

Dan Colgrove 18:10

what's important and what really sort of matters . Well , we talked on rights repair . That's a perennial state issue . It's definitely going to be something that impacts farm equipment . Whether or not that morphs into autos remains to be seen , but it's certainly going to be an issue . Next year in the states . Many states and , as I said , a lot of states , because it needs to be introduced a lot of states may introduce auto right to repair bills . No or not , that's another matter .

Dan Colgrove 18:46

Other issues you know we've been talking a lot with your members and all about this is a more positive issue , about how to build and develop and grow the workforce . It's a big one , the big one . That's the big issue , right , big one , that's the big issue , right , it's so many great stories to tell . We all sort of know that and when we go into , you know , as a layman like myself , when I discuss things like this with lawmakers , you know and we start talking about , you know , think about the industry these days and who it really who we want to get involved . You know younger people , people from underserved communities , people coming in out of prison maybe , who have great opportunities to build wonderful careers . Maybe they don't want to go to college if they're a young person , they don't have to .

Dan Colgrove 19:41

These are wonderful great opportunities that we want to build , particularly in the tech age we live in now . But how to encourage that is a challenge . State governments love things like apprenticeships . They love if you're a governor . There is no bigger brag than how many jobs you're creating in your state . When the governors get together in their meetings and they do you know .

Dan Colgrove 20:05

National Governors Association that's the chest thumping is , you know , we put in , you know , 18,000 new jobs , so that's big . How do we do that , though ? I think that's what we're going to try and pursue with a lot of states . There's opportunities to do that , with tax incentives for employers , for maybe some assistance on communications there's a lot of good programs in the existing states , particularly on apprenticeships , but aren't as well known .

Dan Colgrove 20:39

That's really , I think . What we really want to focus on in a positive way over the next couple of years is how do we partner with local development , job development organizations around the country , as well as the members , we had a great you know , we had a meeting in . Baltimore last month with the auto care folks and some of them and had some really good conversation with some of the folks up there about what works and doesn't work , so stay tuned for that .

Amber Andracsek 21:06

Hi , I'm Amber Andrusak , Manager of Membership Engagement at the Auto Care Association . Are you making the most out of your Auto Care Association membership ? Log in to myautocareorg to keep your profile and preferences updated . Not a member yet ? Visit AutoCareorg . Slash membership to see all our benefits and schedule a consultation with our team . We've got your back . Unlock exclusive tools and resources today at AutoCareorg .

Dan Colgrove 21:39

Less great issues . That's the good stuff . You know , what do we got ? It's , unfortunately , with states a lot of it , and when it comes to business , a lot of it is what we have to try and stop or change Environmental regulations . Why do we care about that ? Well , we do because it affects everything . You know , we follow a lot of things like packaging and I know there were some recent communications from the Association about a packaging law and my light just turned off here . I hope that's something there . It's nothing but tech here , folks . So packaging , what do we care about packaging ? Well , a big push in environmental policy in the last decade has been around restrictions or how to reduce packaging , the amount of stuff that goes out , whether it's a Coca-Cola or whether it's a package of nuts and bolts , or even the cartons that those nuts and bolts come through right .

Dan Colgrove 22:51

How do ? There's a lot of packaging and there is . How do we ? Well , um , states are now starting to embrace a policy . I don't want to get too down in the weeds in it , but it's . It's essentially a way of requiring producers which , if your members are selling something , they're a producer , or shipping something into a state requiring producers to essentially help pay for the disposal of the stuff . Yes , it's about money . I guess , with a good goal to reduce packaging , everyone's about money . I guess , with a good goal to reduce packaging , everybody wants

State Legislation Impacting Various Industries

Dan Colgrove 23:26

to reduce packaging . Anyway , that's going to be a big thing because several states have started to act . These are huge laws that are going to impact everything you do as a resident .

Dan Colgrove 23:35

They have some slight differences Colorado is the one that's come online most quickly , but there's several others coming and next year a whole bunch more will pass , including California's is coming . They've already done it , so get ready . It's going to require some for the members , it's going to require paying attention and signing up for things and hopefully not spending too much money . And what we try to do as these bills are debated next year is think about either what's the unique ?

Dan Colgrove 24:10

issues that this industry might have , what the lawmakers need to know about , whether it's you know what type of packaging or how often is it used packaging ?

Dan Colgrove 24:17

is a big thing um another one , um chemicals . Uh , you love them , we all love them . They're in everything , because they sound scary and in some cases are , depending on what they are and how they're used . There's an increasing focus on exposure to chemicals , uh chemicals that that people can be exposed to , and particularly things that maybe um get attention on social media . Pfos , p-a-f-a-s , which I it has a long you know it's a long polyfluoro polyfluoro something or others .

Dan Colgrove 24:59

uh , it's a lot of stuff . It's in um , it's in some packaging . It's in a lot of stuff . It's in some packaging . It's in cleaning solvents , it's in firefighting foam and there's a number of studies that have come out indicating that exposure to it is detrimental , particularly , I think , to young people . I'm not a scientist so I don't know , but anyway , because it's something that a lot of lawmakers think should be regulated , they haven't . Usually it means banning products . Again , a lot of it has been in packaging .

Dan Colgrove 25:40

That's sort of the problem for the packaging manufacturers to solve , as opposed to your members . But there's other chemicals that people start casting about to things that . I just said that are used as refrigerants is one propellants . Other issues that may be , used in upholsteries or things like that , you know they're going gonna be fluoroalcohol substances .

Stacey Miller 26:07

There we go .

Dan Colgrove 26:07

That's a mouthful forever chemicals , as it's more commonly known as the forever chemicals , which you've probably heard of and I'm sure others have heard of , and that's again . That's you know when you're talking about , when we , when we discuss these things with legislators , they're , they're like you and me , me .

Dan Colgrove 26:25

It's easier for someone to say forever chemicals instead of polyfluoro and why it's not necessarily bad . Forever chemicals sounds bad . They get that when we're debating science a little bit of a challenge . They'll try and get at a lot of those things . Again , we try to . You know , as those are being discussed , we try to think it's difficult to argue against sometimes wanting to protect kids if that's what their motivation is . Whether or not it's accurate is another matter , but you know that's motivation . Find it might be difficult , but perhaps we can talk about things like okay , since there's no real alternative on the market .

Dan Colgrove 27:08

Just yet , for whatever the stuff is that we're talking about , maybe we can make the effective date of the ban 10 years from now instead of five years or next year . Maybe we can phase it out as opposed to just a solid ban .

Stacey Miller 27:24

So we think about things like that Chemicals .

Dan Colgrove 27:26

Yeah , here's another one , boy . This has been a big issue , and it still is is catalytic converters .

Stacey Miller 27:36

Oh , my favorite . I see that everywhere , but I don't know what it means . Why is there legislation on catalytic converters ?

Dan Colgrove 27:44

Well as your members know , it's a gizmo underneath cars and trucks .

Dan Colgrove 27:47

They're gizmos because of what they contain , which is metals of various kinds and coppers of various kinds and coppers are often part of it , which are valuable to thieves . As I understand it , this is organized crime . It's not just the local homeless guy looking for a quick buck . I guess it happens Because they'll go in Again . Some of your folks will tell you these thieves will target a distribution center parking lot oh right , and they know exactly what they're doing and they'll be over the fence and with the saws all under the truck or the car and out of there in just a couple of minutes . They know exactly what they want and take them , or you know they'll find an advantageous car parked on the street . My colleague down the hallway here had hers taken off her car last year .

Stacey Miller 28:57

Oh no .

Dan Colgrove 28:59

And they're costly to replace . We all know that . So a lot of states are finally waking up to this , so this is good , because there's different ways of trying to approach it . Yeah , a lot of increased penalties for the thieves , A lot of increased , which is good . I think the real problem is probably the people who are buying the stuff , you know recyclers . Most recyclers are great . They're regular businesses . Metals recyclers , the stuff you know . Recyclers who are most recyclers are great .

Dan Colgrove 29:24

They're regular businesses , uh , metals recyclers but you know there's like anywhere else , there's some bad actors going after some people like that to make sure the records are not bogus . And a challenge for some of the folks maybe in in that are listening here is there's some states that want to require things like stamping numbers and serial numbers on converters and things like that which you know . I don't know how much of a burden that is , but it could be somewhat . But a lot of different attempts that's going to be a big issue . Trying to get a whole , get a handle on can't lay converter theft .

Stacey Miller 29:59

Wow , I have to do some research on what , what the dollar amount is and you know the the theft , the market size of the theft , because it's gotta be pretty significant if they're considered .

Dan Colgrove 30:09

As it's been explained to me , it's , it's pretty darn huge . I had a conversation with a trucking fleet person not long ago that just said it's just enormous .

Stacey Miller 30:18

Oh my gosh , I mean I I've seen a next door poster to where someone said , hey , the muffler got cut off my car and I don't really understand why , but now it , now it all makes sense . Sheesh , who knew we had to get legislation to solve that issue , unreal , okay . So , case in point lots going on at the state level , lots to monitor , lots that affects our businesses . So everything from workforce I want to touch really briefly . I want to go back and touch really briefly on the trades once more , because you mentioned there's some workforce stuff going on at the state level , kind of what are you seeing ? Is it that ? Are they focusing on apprenticeship programs for all trades , all vocations , vocational school ? Or are you seeing any focus specifically on , you know , automotive or electrical or constructing ? Because what , what I've from what I've heard , there's , you know , a shortage in basically all trades , all vocations , all skilled trades . So we it seems like we really need this across all of them , but I don't really know what the state-level perspective is on that .

Dan Colgrove 31:22

Yeah , I agree . I think that's probably a role for us all of us is we need to do a little bit more education . I think the traditional trades , be they apprenticeship or something similar , are still well-represented Construction , you know things like that but making the case about this industry as a real growth market is is new and interesting , I think , to a lot of state lawmakers , and that's where I think our , our lane is , is to talk about , particularly in the , you know , in this era of EVs and things like that . How ?

Dan Colgrove 32:02

these are really interesting , challenging fields that are being developed that they may not be aware of that promises lots of job return .

Stacey Miller 32:12

That's , I think , where we need to do .

Dan Colgrove 32:14

If that answers your question , I think that is where we can do more work is focusing on this industry , aftermarket and repair a little bit more with lawmakers helping them understand the needs of this community .

Stacey Miller 32:33

Yeah , absolutely . And you said EVs , which is my trigger word , Dan . Obviously it brings up a lot of thoughts . Right , we're talking about training an entire workforce to service these technologically advanced vehicles . But you know , the other thing that comes up when you say EVs is emissions , right , so there's emissions requirements that differing across all the states . To write , that's probably like the fifth and final issue I want to touch on . That I think is a pretty big trend and continues to be a trend .

Dan Colgrove 33:04

It is yes , we should have mentioned that earlier . So EVs and everything about them are an appealing issue to a lot of legislative leaders and governors . Whether it's citing a plant , you know a Toyota plant or something like that , or the repair or all that sort of stuff .

Dan Colgrove 33:29

It's that sounds . Boy , this is great , we're going to , you know , jobs and we're going to save the planet and clean the air and all that and again , that's fine . But in their rush to get ahead of some of these things , like everything else , you need to worry about the unintended consequences of moving too quickly .

Dan Colgrove 33:47

Right and they are moving quickly , and it's one thing to encourage development or placing charging station . That's one thing , but it's quite another to , as in the case of some places in California and elsewhere , putting restrictions on diesels for example , or carbon emitting vehicles . Like you know , trucks can't service the ports unless they're electric vehicles by 2030 , which I think is the thing .

Amber Andracsek 34:24

Oh gosh .

Dan Colgrove 34:25

Okay , great . Well , how is that going to work ?

Stacey Miller 34:28

Right , how are we ?

Dan Colgrove 34:29

going to get the stuff out of the Port of Long Beach to Alabama ? I don't know , but EVs are super hot . Tax incentives are fine , but to build facilities , charging stations all good . Maybe tax incentives to help technicians . That's not bad , that would be great , but like so much this is how I guess how we started the conversation . Maybe we're coming back around like so much in states , they can do it . Whatever it is they want to do , they can do it pretty quick .

Stacey Miller 35:07

Oh my gosh .

Dan Colgrove 35:09

And once they do it , they think they've done it and they don't have to worry about it again .

Stacey Miller 35:14

And then there's implications across state lines . Oh , it's a patchwork of legislation . It's fun . It's a patchwork of legislation . It's fun , dan . I've really enjoyed this conversation , but we've only scratched the surface of what's going on at the states and how it really affects the entire auto care industry . I really want to commit to monitoring these issues a little bit more closely with you in the PRISM group and bringing some of those issues to light here in the podcast . You know some quick hits on hey , here's what's happening , here's why it's significant and what you can do about it . So I'm really looking forward to doing that with you . For now , how can our audience reach out to you or where can they find you Should they have additional questions ?

Dan Colgrove 35:57

I'm tempted to say , just look in any random state capitol , but the odds are high that you'll get me . Well , thank you , that's very kind . We love working with you and the association . We really do . It's terrific staff , great leadership , very much committed to the members and I sincerely think that it's a great partnership and it's a two-way partnership . We rely on you and the members to let us know what it is we should be looking at . To get into you know , through , through you or some of the other staff is probably the best way . I mean , I'm happy , I love hearing from folks . So if you want to throw my email contact up at some point , you know great , I'll leave it to you to do with that . I'm here in Washington but moving around , but we really want to hear . It's the old cliche .

Dan Colgrove 36:50

We want to hear from you what we do . That's how advocacy works . You know it's one .

Amber Andracsek 36:56

I'm a .

Dan Colgrove 36:57

I'm a faking amateur when it comes to a lot of things . We really need the input from the members about how it really works , so that we can advocate on their behalf .

Stacey Miller 37:09

I appreciate that , dan , and I hardly believe the amateur , because I know you've been at this for a long time and we appreciate your expertise . So for anyone in the auto care industry , dan's right . We need your feedback . So if you're hearing about issues at the local level that matter to you or you want to learn more , you can always reach out to us . Visit AutoCareorg . You can email info at AutoCareorg or contact me directly . That's Stacy Miller at AutoCareorg . We can talk about those issues and get you in touch with Dan and the team and then use that to make sure that we're best representing our industry in these advocacy efforts . So thank you so much , dan , for taking the time today and we look forward to having you here again .

Dan Colgrove 37:51

Thank you , stacey , it's a pleasure .

Stacey Miller 37:54

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Auto Care ON AIR . Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so that you never miss an episode , and don't forget to leave us a rating and review that helps others discover our content . Auto Care On Air is a production of the Auto Care Association , dedicated to advancing the auto care industry and supporting professionals like you . To learn more about the association and its initiatives , visit autocare . org .