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Florida Legislative Preview 2020: Industry Calls on Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse by Amy O’Connor
The Florida Legislature started its 2020 legislative session this week and lawmakers are set to consider a number of insurance-focused issues
over the course of the 60-day period. At the top of the list for industry and consumer advocates are reforms to curb what they say are abuses of the state’s legal system that are hurting insurers’ bottom line. The issue is of particular importance to industry stakeholders in light of recent news about financial issues in the state’s insurance market. Last session, the insurance industry scored a big win with the passage of property insurance reforms addressing the abuse of a policyholder benefit known as assignment See Legislative Preview, Page 3
Alliance for Automotive Innovation Formed from Merger of Two OEM Trade Groups by Chasidy Rae Sisk
The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers recently announced their merger into a single trade association, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), covering the OEMs that manufacture “nearly 99 percent of all light-duty vehicles sold in the United States,” AAI wrote in a release. “The organization will be the acknowledged automotive industry resource and will focus its advocacy work on creating a safe and transformative path for the industry’s growth.”
AAI will “work to speed the safe deployment of advances in personal transportation through effective public policy, stakeholder engagement and greater public understanding” by “leveraging the expansive history of both organizations while creating a single, unified industry voice.” AAI will be led by President and CEO John Bozzella, formerly President and CEO of the Association of Global Automakers, who said, “As the singular, clear and respected voice of the automotive industry, it will be the role of this organization
AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 11 / Issue 1 / March 2020
CCA’s Inaugural Meeting Focused on Improving Safety and Efficiency of Collision Repair Industry by Chasidy Rae Sisk
On January 25, the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) met in Charlotte, NC, for the first time since it
formed from the merger of the North Carolina Association of Collision and Autobody Repair (NCACAR) and the South Carolina Association of Collision and Autobody Repair (SCA-
CAR). According to CCA President Brian Davies, the meeting “showed the connection and strength we have as a collective unit focused on improving the safety and efficiency of the industry. I truly enjoyed seeing the conversations and connections made between professionals of different trades, as it highlights the common gratifications and frustrations among us all. We hope that everyone enjoyed the event, and we plan to build upon and grow from it for future meetings.” The meeting featured Ronald See CCA’s Inaugural Meeting, Page 14
CIC Subcommittees Offer Competing Suggestions on How to Deal With “Opt-OE” Parts by John Yoswick
Heated exchanges that erupted during the “Parts and Materials Committee” presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Las Vegas in November sounded “exactly what committee meetings feel like,” Aaron Schulenburg, committee co-chairman joked, and demonstrated, according to
See Merger of Two Trade Groups, Page 10
Ken Weiss said six definition labels his subcommittee defined help make clear the nuances among part types. Credit: John Yoswick
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co-chairman Ken Weiss, “why we ended up with two subcommittees.” The committee about a year ago inherited from another CIC committee the task of trying to resolve the is-
sue of a variety of types of parts being listed as “opt-OE” on parts platforms or estimates. Weiss and Schulenburg said the committee had been so polarized on the issue that they decided to break into two “more like-minded” work groups to each form a proposal on how to most clearly describe parts available in the marketplace for those making parts decisions. Weiss said his work group came up with six different categories of new parts that differentiate, for example, an “OEM dealer” part from the exact same part sold in the same packaging but outside the automaker’s dealer network (described by his sub-committee as an “OEM non-dealer” part). Two other of the six categories would differentiate a certified non-OEM part from one that is not certified. In between were two other categories for parts produced by the same manufacturers that produce the same parts for the vehicle manufacturer; Weiss’ subcommittee dubbed those as “Tier 1 OEM” parts if they bore the same branding as the See “Opt-OE” Parts, Page 22
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