The discussion has begun on whether Colorado will join 11 other states in adopting
more stringent greenhouse and emissions laws than are federally mandated. Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff recently offered testimony to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging a reduction by as much
as 30 percent of carbon dioxide and overall emissions beginning with the 2009 auto
model year.

CLICK HERE to read this article by CAR lobbyist Jeremy Cottrell. 
 

The March issue of Wheels, Auto Industry Division’s (AID) newsletter, included a
reminder regarding the licensing of managerial staff who may typically be involved in salesperson activities.  A motor vehicle salesperson is defined as follows:

All dealership personnel who engage in the activities described in this definition must
be licensed as a “salesperson.” This means that General Managers and Finance Managers also typically need to be licensed. Managerial personnel may at times deal with customers either in negotiating the financing of the sales transaction or in various aspects of the terms of the deal. In such instances, the dealership can be cited for employing an unlicensed salesperson and the salesperson can also be cited for engaging in “unlicensed sale activity.” (12-6-118(3)(n), 12-6-120(2)C.R.S.)
 

There is one statutory exception to this:  up to two persons at each dealership—who must also be owners or part owners—can “act as motor vehicle salespersons” under
the dealership’s license based on the following statute:

CLICK HERE for any new issues of Wheels,
as well as archives of prior ones. 

In February 2006, CADA alerted dealers to the availability of an online inquiry screen whereby dealership personnel can review current licensing information on file with the state. We are reminding dealerships again through Open Road on the availability of this information so you can double-check that all information is correct and up-to-date.
 

Inquiry access to state licensing records:  Additionally, in the arena of salesperson and dealership licensing information, CADA recently learned that any dealer can sign up for access to view the state’s current licensing records – both for salespersons and for dealerships. These are sub-components of the state Integrated Data System (IDS). The licensing information can be invaluable to check on the status of all current salespersons to ensure their licenses are active and prepare for upcoming renewals. While reminder letters are sent by the Auto Industry Division about a week prior to license expiration, these letters may not always be received or reach the appropriate person in a timely manner. Salesperson licenses can be searched by salesperson name or dealership name—or for multiple dealerships with a common name, the common term can be searched to obtain info across all dealerships. The “inquiry access to dealers” screen shows information such as current dba name, address on file, and ownership information.

Go to the following web site to sign up for inquiry access to state licensing records: http://ids.dor.state.co.us/

à CLICK HERE to view screen prints and instructions explaining how to complete this registration process.

EPA recently issued a final brochure entitled, Current Best Practices for Preventing Asbestos Exposure Among Brake and Clutch Repair Workers. The brochure summarizes work practices for automotive professionals on preventing exposure to brake and clutch dust that may contain asbestos fibers, and also identifies pertinent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. This brochure replaced the existing document entitled, Guidance for Preventing Asbestos Disease Among Auto Mechanics (EPA-560-OPTS-86-002), commonly referred to as the "Gold Book." EPA revised this brochure as part of an effort to bring its asbestos guidance up to date. The new brochure replaces the original "Gold Book" which was issued in 1986 prior to official OSHA guidance to brake and clutch workers.
 

See the web sites below to download this brochure and to obtain more information:

• EPA Website:   www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/brakesbrochure.html
   

• OSHA Website: www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/index.html and
                       Asbestos-Automotive Brake and Clutch Repair Work
                       (OSHA Bulletin, July 2006)

• Self-Inspection Checklist: Asbestos
  http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/checklist.html