Many thanks to all of the dealers who answered the call to action on Tuesday from both NADA and MADA.  On Wednesday, July 29, 2015, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed an NADA-backed bill that would rescind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's flawed 2013 guidance to auto lenders urging non-discountable compensation to dealers for arranging financing. 

H.R. 1737, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) and Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) also requires government transparency, cost estimates for consumers and consultation with other government agencies vested with regulatory authority. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 47-10 (34 Republicans and 13 Democrats).

The passage of H.R. 1737 was a major step forward for consumers and dealers and represents one of the first successful bipartisan efforts to push back against government overreach in the highly competitive auto lending market. The bill's passage was only possible through grassroots advocacy taken up by NADA directors, ATAEs and dealers across the nation.

The MVA held their inaugural dealer forum on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.  The MVA intends to meet with forum members four times a year to better understand the practical elements of dealership operation.  The forum includes four representatives from licensed franchised auto dealers, one representative from franchised motorcycle dealers and one representative from independent auto dealers.  MVA attendees included Administrator Milton Chafee, two deputy administrators and the head of dealer programs among other MVA executives. 

The MVA commenced the first forum meeting by expressing their interest in moving the dealer license period from two years to three years.  The MVA is also discussing mandatory use of electronic title and registration for vehicle paperwork submissions.  Finally, the MVA agreed to allow a grace period for employee training when new dealership policies are implemented.  MADA will clearly inform members about how to comply with new MVA procedures and when the grace period may be coming to a close.

During the open forum segment of the inaugural meeting, dealers expressed the MVA's need to provide clear interpretation of many laws to protect them from plaintiff attorneys using ambiguities to file lawsuits.  The MVA indicated that they are in the process of reviewing and modernizing the current regulations.  The MVA agreed to solicit the feedback of the dealers associations before proposing any new regulatory language. 

Before the next meeting, the MVA agreed to survey the surrounding state DMV's to understand how dealership advertising is policed so a discussion on regional advertising can be intelligently discussed.  MADA will keep all dealer forum meeting notes available to interested dealers, and a write up will always be provided in the On the Move.

Join MADA in September at The Hotel Hershey  for our Fall Conference which will be hosted September 18-21, 2015.  We have a fantastic agenda planned for you including our two keynote speakers, Cory Mosley and Kim Foley.  Cory will present his "Lead the Next Generation" keynote, which focuses on leveraging the Gen-Y workforce, helping dealers move beyond old-school tactics to embrace new-school strategies that will lead to growing a successful Gen-Y dealership staff.  Kim Foley will excite and motivate you to step outside of your comfort zone and consider the possibilities with video. Her dynamic, hands-on presentation style is both entertaining and informative.  Also planned for the agenda is a comprehensive review of the new Spot Delivery law to take effect on October 1, 2015.  We also invite you to bring your essential dealer jacket documents for a complimentary legal compliance review.

Registration materials have been mailed.  Please visit our Conference website to review further information and to register today!