There has been a great deal of discussion about increasing Maryland's minimum wage in the 2014 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  Last month both Montgomery County and Prince George's County approved minimum wage increases to $11.50 per hour by 2017.

While the automobile dealership industry wages tend to be far higher than the minimum wage, MADA is concerned about "wage creep", where all wages tend to rise after a minimum wage increase.  In order to help us be prepared when the General Assembly convenes in January, MADA has prepared a short (4 question) survey describing the impacts a minimum wage increase might have on your businesses.  The survey is available HERE.   We strongly request that all members complete the survey by December 20th.   

Please respond by December 20!

Maryland Automobile Dealers Association's Annual Membership Meeting featuring Blair Lee, Columnist for the Gazette News and Political Commentator for WBAL, will be held on Tuesday January 14, 2014 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel followed by our legislative reception.    

Members of both the executive and legislative branches of Maryland government have been invited.  We anticipate our industry to come under fire as a source or revenue for the ailing Transportation Trust Fund.  We must inform the legislative body of the importance of protecting the livelihood and future of Maryland's new car and truck dealers .  In light of the legislative landscape it is critical that each dealership send a representative. 

You may reserve your spot today by downloading a registration form and returning it by fax, 410.269.1549, or by mail to:

MADA

7 State Circle, Suite 301

Annapolis, MD 21401

MADAF is now in the process of collecting applications for the 2014-2015 academic year.  If you know of a deserving student, please consider sponsoring them.  Applications may be downloaded by Clicking Here.  The deadline to apply is March 30, 2014. 

This year in offering these scholarships MADAF chose to do so in the memory of an industry legend. The Joseph Cavendish Darrell, or "Cab Darrell" scholarship honors a man who became the executive director of our Association more than 68 years ago.  Cab spent 30 years representing dealers and crafting legislation that still exists today.  

The Federal Reserve Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that the dollar thresholds in Regulation Z (Truth in Lending Act) and Regulation M (Consumer Leasing Act) for exempt consumer credit and lease transactions will increase to $53,500 beginning January 1, 2014. 

This means that beginning January 1, 2014, consumer credit transactions and consumer leases at or below $53,500 are subject to the protections of the regulations.  These increases are consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act amendments to the Truth in Lending Act and the Consumer Leasing Act to adjust these thresholds annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index.

How to Avoid the Costly Threats from Pirated Software Audits and Criminal Crypto Viruses  

Date/Time: Thursday, December 19 at 1pm  

Presenter:  Erik Nachbahr of Helion Technologies 

Cost: $149.00 per participant

Erik Nachbahr helps hundreds of dealers to manage their information system. Avoid the costly audits and attacks from the BSA by being forewarned and alert to the dangers.  Erik will also discuss criminal attacks on your dealership in the form of Crypto Viruses. Some sophisticated criminal elements are at work in this area and again auto dealers are a high-value target. This webinar will cover the following:

• How pirated software gets onto your computer system and how to find the culprits
• What types of software are most likely to be pirated and installed on your systems
• Why and how this seemingly trivial practice can cost you a fortune
• Steps to take now to prevent pirated software in your store
• How to prevent having your system "kidnapped" by cyber criminal organizations