100 Times Stronger
New Group of State Lawmakers Join Effort to Preserve Hobby

If you want to see cool cars, you go to a car show. If you want to meet lawmakers from across the country in one venue, you go to a state legislator’s conference.

That’s exactly what State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus Chairman Bill Reilich and SAN Director Jason Tolleson did by attending the National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Legislative Summit. Over the three-day event, the duo enlisted 100 new lawmakers into the caucus (see left for a listing of new members).

The caucus, which now has more than 350 members from all 50 states, is a nonpartisan group of state lawmakers whose common thread is a love and appreciation for automobiles. Through their participation in the caucus, these lawmakers are helping to raise the motor-vehicle hobby’s profile in their state legislatures and in the public’s eyes.

“It was a great opportunity to meet with my colleagues from other state legislatures who share a passion for the automotive hobby,” said Reilich. “Whether they currently own a collector vehicle or just appreciate seeing these cars on the road, by joining the caucus they are showing their support in preserving this great American tradition.”

Since its inception in 2005, the caucus has proven to be a valuable resource in connecting pro-hobby lawmakers to a multitude of enthusiasts and car clubs who are involved with the SAN. This partnership has brought a series of significant legislative accomplishments for the vehicle enthusiast community on issues ranging from equipment standards to registration classifications and from emissions-test exemptions to hobbyist rights.

“I encourage SAN members to contact caucus members in their state and thank them for their participation,” added Tolleson. “Likewise, if their own state representative or senator is not a member, I would ask that they contact their office and encourage them to join.”

For more information about the caucus, including a complete list of members, visit www.semasan.com.

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Caucus Corner

Each month Driving Force will feature members of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus. The SEMA-supported caucus is a bipartisan group of state lawmakers whose common thread is a love and appreciation for automobiles.

Here are its newest members:

Alabama
Representative Victor Gaston
Representative H. Mac Gipson
Representative Laura Hall
Representative Johnny Morrow
Representative William E.  Thigpen
Arizona
Representative David Bradley
Arkansas
Senator Gene Jeffress
California
Senator Bob Margett
Senator George Runner
Assemblymember Jim Beall
Connecticut
Representative Zeke Zalaski
Florida
Representative Eddy Gonzalez
Georgia
Senator Bill Heath
Representative Bob Hanner
Representative Nikki Randall
Hawaii
Representative Karen Awana
Representative Jerry Chang
Indiana
Senator Sue Landske
Representative P. Eric Turner
Iowa
Senator Staci Appel
Senator Wally Horn
Kansas
Representative Carl Holmes
Representative Deena Horst
Representative Ray Merrick
Representative Melvin Neufeld
Representative Dale Swenson
Kentucky
Senator Joey Pendleton
Senator Dorsey Ridley
Representative Thomas Burch
Representative Danny Ford
Representative Mary Lou Marzian
Representative Jody Richards
Representative Tom Riner
Representative Robin Webb
Representative Brent Yonts
Louisiana
Senator A.G. Crowe
Senator Ben Nevers
Senator Francis Thompson
Senator Mike Walsworth
Representative Damon Baldone
Representative Girod Jackson III
Representative John LaBruzzo
Representative Anthony Ligi
Representative Nickie Monica
Maryland
Senator Katherine Klausmeier
Minnesota
Senator Michael Jungbauer
Senator David Tomassoni
Representative Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Mississippi
Representative Walter Robinson Jr.
Missouri
Representative Joe Fallert
Representative Gayle Kingery
Nevada
Assemblymember Lynn Stewart
New Hampshire
Representative Daniel Eaton
Representative Sherman Packard
New Jersey
Assemblymember Upenda Chivukula
New Mexico
Senator Joseph Carraro
North Carolina
Representative John Blust
Representative Bruce Goforth
Representative Hugh Holliman
Representative Julia Howard
Representative Karen Ray
Representative Arthur Williams
North Dakota
Senator Dick Dever
Senator Judy Lee
Representative David Monson
Representative Darrell Nottestad
Ohio
Senator Robert Schuler
Representative Michael DeBose
Oklahoma
Senator Davie Myers
Representative Danny Morgan
Oregon
Representative Brian Clem
Pennsylvania
Representative John Evans
Representative Daylin Leach
Representative Tony Payton, Jr.
South Dakota
Senator Ed Olson
Representative Clayton Halverson
Representative David Sigdestad
Tennessee
Representative Vince Dean
Representative JoAnne Favors
Representative Sherry Jones
Representative Gary Moore
Representative Les Winningham
Representative Eddie Yokley
Texas
Representative Garnet Coleman
Representative Edmund Kuempel
Representative Solomon Ortiz, Jr.
Utah
Senator Gene Davis
Senator Brent Goodfellow
Representative Ron Bigelow
Representative Tim Cosgrove
Representative Kevin Garn
Representative Kory Holdaway
Representative Gregory Hughes
Representative Curtis Oda
Virginia
Senator John Edwards
Senator Emmett Hanger
Senator L. Louise Lucas
Delegate Kenneth Plum
Delegate Mark Sickles
Washington
Representative Mike Armstrong
Representative Ed Orcutt
West Virginia
Delegate Harry Keith White
Wyoming
Representative Sue Wallis


FROM SEMA’S DRIVING FORCE NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2008