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Keeping up with current legislative action is important for enthusiasts of any hobby, but as the show and race seasons get fully under way, it’s now more important than ever to be aware of purposed legislation that could affect hot rod and classic car culture in the near future. Thanks to this month’s SEMA Law & Order we’re cluing you in and vying for the hobby we all love.

This month’s SEMA Law & Order is chalk full of updates from all across the country. So keep your eyes and ears peeled as legislatures from the East to the West Coast are looking to change how you participate in your hobby, whether for the good or the bad.

To start it off, we’d like to reiterate that if you would like to participate in the California Legacy License Plate Program, the California DMV is now taking pre-orders for the special-edition vintage-style license plates.

In order for orders to be honored, the DMV must receive 2,500 applications for each plate style by January 1, 2015, so get your vintage tag request in soon!

In Connecticut, a bill has been proposed that would eliminate the state provision that say all rare, antique, or special use vehicles are allowed to be assessed at less than $500 for tax purposes. If this SEMA-opposed legislation is passed, owners of collector vehicles would be subject to the same tax provisions put on all other vehicles, increasing their tax liability tenfold.

Better legislative news comes out of Maine, where a bill trying to eliminate the provision that all vehicles must run tires within 2 inches of the tire size recommended by the manufacturer has been introduced.  Maine already requires that a vehicle fail inspection if the tires touch any part of the vehicle body, so the tire size provision is redundant and limits special interest vehicle owners in ways other than safety concerns.

Following suit of California’s Legacy License Plate Program, legislation has been introduced in Montana and passed in its House that would allow owners of vehicles and trailers made from 1948 through the 1950 model year to display a single year of manufacture plate for identification purposes. The Senate will consider this bill next and if approved, the new legislation will give some vintage vehicle owners a choice when it comes to their license plates.

Unfortunately, another bill has been introduced in Montana that would classify more than three “junk vehicles” -defined as inoperable, wrecked, or dismantled- on one private property to be considered community decay and unlawful.

Moving to Nebraska, legislation has been introduced that would only allow the use of white or clear headlights on motor vehicles. If passed, this would get rid of the possibility of running lights that appear to have a blue tint but are still classified within the limits of white by the DOT.

In New York, legislation has once again been introduced that would impose a one-time registration fee of $100 for historic vehicles, getting rid of the current annual fee of $28.75. Almost identical legislation passed in the New York Senate last year but died in the Assembly when they went on break.

Virginia residents can look forward to legislation attempting to completely exempt vehicles and parts cars on private property from the state license tax being debated next in the Senate. This legislation, which was approved by the House, would exempt restoration projects from the tax regardless of if they display current tags or not.

In both Maryland and Missouri, legislation has been introduced that would allow for the issuance of only one license plate per vehicle. If passed, this would mean that only one tag would need to be displayed on an operating vehicle to be legal and would do away with unsightly drilling for license plates on custom vehicles.

Our final legislative update comes from Washington, where SEMA-model legislation has been approved by the Senate that would disallow any ordinances, zoning or laws against use of private property for vehicle restoration purposes. If approved by the House, this bill will allow up to six project vehicles, one being a parts vehicle, to be on private property as long as they are screened from the public.

The prime automotive season is heating up, as well as legislative action that could affect our hobby in the future. For frequent updates on proposed legislation, be sure to sign up with the SEMA Action Network and check back here next month for another SEMA Law & Order update.