JUNE 15, 2010

IN THIS ISSUE

DEALER NEWS & INFORMATION

– Automotive News at a Glance

REGULATORY & LEGAL UPDATES

– Hybrid / Alternative Fuel Tax Credits

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

– YOU are CADA's Most Effective Tool at the Capitol

UPCOMING SEMINARS

– One Toke Over the Line? Medical Marijuana at Work. The HIRE Act: Employer Tax Breaks For Hiring Unemployed Workers

– Are You Prepared to Service Hybrid Vehicles?

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
– Upcoming Events

– CADA 2010 Annual Golf Tournament

– Innovative Dealer Summit

– CADA Regional Meetings

– Denver Regional Meeting

DEALER MILESTONES,
HIGHLIGHTS & TRANSITIONS

–Share Your Accomplishments

THE AFTERFACT

–All the News That's Fit to Email!

ARCHIVES

CLICK HERE for Open Road
e-newsletter archives.

CLICK HERE for an Index of Regulatory
& Legal Articles from the Open
Road e-newsletter.

CLICK HERE for Bulletin archives.

CLICK HERE for Colorado Auto
Outlook archives.

CLICK HERE for Denver Auto
Outlook archives.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

CLICK HERE to register online
for various CADA seminars & events.

MEMBERSHIP RESOURCES

CLICK HERE for details on the
Speaker and Educational
Resources.

CLICK HERE for a list of current
Endorsed Vendors/Programs.

CLICK HERE for a list of current
Allied Members.

CLICK HERE for an order form for
CADA forms.

CLICK HERE for information on all member services.

www.nada.org

CLICK HERE for NADA
Regulatory Affairs information.

STATE GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

CLICK HERE for the Auto Industry
Division of the Colorado Dept.
of Revenue.

CLICK HERE for the Title and
Registration section of the
Colorado Dept. of Revenue,
Motor Vehicles Division.

CLICK HERE for the Colorado
Department of Labor &
Employment website.

Visit us at www.coloradodealers.org.

CADA Hours of Operation
Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

CADA STAFF

CLICK HERE for a CADA staff listing

If you have questions
or suggestions regarding this
e-newsletter, please
contact Lauren Stadler at
lauren.stadler@coloradodealers.org

CLICK HERE or scroll to the bottom
of this page if you want to be
added or removed from our list.

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ENDORSED VENDOR/PROGRAMS

CLICK HERE for information about the
Endorsed Vendors/Programs.

If you have trouble viewing any of the links or documents in this e-newsletter, please CLICK HERE to access the web-based version.

One Toke Over the Line? Medical Marijuana at Work. The HIRE Act: Employer Tax Breaks for Hiring Unempemployed Workers

~ NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER! ~

Tuesday, June 22nd –  Denver – 7:30am
Wednesday, June 23rd – Colorado Springs – 12:00pm

Part I:  One Toke Over the Line! Medical Marijuana at Work

• Can your employees use or possess marijuana in the workplace?
• What should you do if a drug test comes back positive for medical   marijuana?
• What if the employee is "disabled"? How are Medical Review Officers   handling positive tests for marijuana?
•Can your employee brag to other employees about their medical marijuana   use?
• You’ll hear latest legal guidance on medical marijuana vs. laws.

Part II: The HIRE Act: Tax Breaks for Hiring Unemployed Workers

• You will learn what is needed for a new hire to qualify for immediate payroll   tax exemption
• You will learn what is needed for the employer to receive a tax credit for   retained workers

CLICK HERE for information and registration!

 

Listed here are several articles pertaining to the
auto industry in general that appeared recently in newspapers and other media outlets across the nation.

HYBRID / ALTERNATIVE FUEL TAX CREDITS

CADA has received questions from dealers assisting consumers trying to determine the value of the tax credit(s) that may be available for hybrid or other alternative fuel vehicles purchases.  Below is information you can provide to your customers on this topic: 

CLICK HERE to review the Governor’s energy office summary.
[Scroll down to view “Incentives for Efficient Motor Vehicles, Summary of HB09-1331].

The Department of Revenue (DOR) also publishes General Tax FYI #20 (latest revision 09/2009) that includes further clarifications and detail.  Generally, the state tax rebate is a percentage of the difference between the ‘cost difference’ of the alternative fuel car and the comparable ‘traditional fuel model’.  That may not always be easy to determine. 

To assist with that, the DOR tax division publishes Income Tax FYI No. 9 (latest revision, 02/2010) with more detail of those cost differences for specific models a month or two prior to the April 15th income tax filing deadline.  The latest version of that publication can serve as a good ‘ballpark’ for subsequent years. 

Dealerships can direct consumers to the above sources and publications, as well as to the forms below:

There are three specific forms referenced; the first one contains instructions for the other two: 

• DR 0166 (rev. 11/15/04) Alternative Fuels Rebate -- Instructions for DR 0167 and DR 0168.
• DR 0167 (rev. 09/30/09) Alternative Fuels Rebate -- Government Charitable Organization Application. 
• DR 0168 (rev. 09/30/09) Alternative Fuels Rebate -- Dealer Information 

All tax forms can be obtained by going to www.taxcolorado.com, select “Forms” from the Main Categories in the left column, and select “Forms by DR Number” from the expanded sub-categories.   

Other information

1. Federal income tax credits 
2. Hybrid cars and alternative fuel technologies general information  
3. Colorado E85 information/availability 

* * * * * * * *

If you have questions on any legal or regulatory topic, please contact:

• Tammi McCoy, Vice Pres., tammi.mccoy@coloradodealers.org, 303.282.1449
• Tim Jackson, President, tim.jackson@coloradodealers.org, 303.282.1448

DISCLAIMER: CADA is not authorized to dispense legal advice.The information contained in this weekly email is intended to provide important updates and reminders regarding statutes, litigation, and regulations. CADA always advises that dealers should consult legal counsel on the specifics of any laws or regulations to ensure proper compliance

YOU ARE CADA'S MOST EFFECTIVE TOOL AT THE CAPITOL!

It’s a safe bet that nearly every Colorado legislator has at least one automobile dealership in their legislative district.  Some even have as many as 10 or more.  There are only 65 members of the House of Representatives and 35 members of the Senate, for a total of 100 members of the General Assembly.  Since there are roughly 270 automobile dealerships in the state, not only is it a safe bet that nearly every legislator has an automobile dealership in their district, but they likely know each of you by name. 

Automobile dealers are fabulous assets to their respective communities.  You sponsor little league teams.  You buy t-shirts for the high school basketball team.  You invest in your employees and give them careers, not just jobs.  You donate to local police departments when they need vehicles.  You take care of your customers and their families year after year.  Your collective charitable contributions were over $5.5 million in 2009 in the state of Colorado alone.

As members of CADA, you have a huge advantage over other associations that may have large amounts of members, but they may only be concentrated in specific urban or rural areas in Colorado.  The fact that we have auto dealers throughout Colorado gives us a huge advantage at the Capitol and provides us with enormous political capital for dealer issues.

While all of these facts are good and politically beneficial, they are not effective until they are activated.  While legislators know you exist and generally know what you do for your community, they still need to hear from you personally.  One of the most critical assets to our lobbying efforts comes from you when we are in the trenches trying to pass legislation that benefits you or defeat legislation that is potentially harmful.  Grassroots lobbying is the crux of an association’s success.  Legislators at the Capitol hear from me and your lobby team every day during Session which is certainly beneficial to our collective political efforts.  But, when Legislators hear from you, especially during the non-session months of June through December, the impact is simply astounding. 

This summer, after the successful passage of HB 1049 (the CADA franchise bill), will be an excellent opportunity to not only thank the many legislators who supported our bill, but also provides us the opportunity to talk about future issues, including the important of dealers remaining closed on Sundays.  Additionally, this is a campaign year and it presents a huge opportunity for CADA members to meet with legislators on dealer issues.

Your involvement is crucial to our success and we appreciate all that you do!  We are currently planning several legislative meetings across the state, so please watch your Open Road and your fax machine for upcoming events. 

* * * * * * * *

Questions or Comments?  Please contact:

• Melissa Kuipers – VP of Government Relations and Communications
  melissa.kuipers@coloradodealers.org, 303.457.5115
• Tim Jackson, President, tim.jackson@coloradodealers.org, 303.282.1448

ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE? MEDICAL MARIJUANA AT WORK. THE HIRE ACT: EMPLOYER TAX BREAKS FOR HIRING UNEMPLOYED WORKERS

Tuesday, June 22nd –  Denver – 7:30am
Wednesday, June 23rd – Colorado Springs – 12:00pm

Part I:  One Toke Over the Line! Medical Marijuana at Work

• Can your employees use or possess marijuana in the workplace?
• What should you do if a drug test comes back positive for medical   marijuana?
• What if the employee is "disabled"? How are Medical Review Officers   handling positive tests for marijuana?
•Can your employee brag to other employees about their medical marijuana   use?
• You’ll hear latest legal guidance on medical marijuana vs. laws.

Part II: The HIRE Act: Tax Breaks for Hiring Unemployed Workers

• You will learn what is needed for a new hire to qualify for immediate payroll   tax exemption
• You will learn what is needed for the employer to receive a tax credit for   retained workers

CLICK HERE for information and registration!

* * * * * * * *

ARE YOU PREPARED TO SERVICE HYBRID VEHICLES?

Overall Objective: To teach automotive technicians basic safety for handling hybrid batteries and working with hybrid vehicles. 
Target market – Automotive technicians in the western region of the U.S. wishing to train on hybrid vehicles.
Anticipated class size – limited to 12 students per class
Anticipated duration of training – course will run for 40 hours (see dates and times on attached advertisement)
Learning Objectives and Hands on Training Includes:

• Demonstrate safety when dealing with hybrid batteries
• Describe and demonstrate methods of approaching high-voltage systems
• Describe steps to evaluate if vehicle is safe to touch or work on
• Be able to locate high-voltage wires in hybrids and all electric vehicles
• Conversion of hybrid vehicles to longer-range electric vehicles

Where: Arapahoe Community College – 5900 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120 - Automotive Department
Cost: $299
Registration – Call 303.734.3701
CLICK HERE for more information!

Participants that complete the 40 hours will receive a certificate from Arapahoe Community College Corporate Learning Division.

* * * * * * * *

TO REGISTER ONLINE FOR ANY CADA SEMINAR OR EVENT, PLEASE VISIT: www.coloradodealers.org/registration

If you have a particular area of interest or would like to suggest a training seminar topic, please contact Lauren Stadler at 303.457.5123 or lauren.stadler@coloradodealers.org

LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

Have you or anyone else at your dealership won an award recently? Have you or your dealership provided any outstanding community service? We want to recognize such accomplishments. Please send us a brief write-up of the award or event along with any other information to milestones@coloradodealers.org. Also include your contact information for further follow-up.

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