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I just picked this up from "another" board. Although I live on the east coast we need to start generating support. Please read and help to support this new exhaust bill. IT'S IN YOUR FAVOR.
QUOTE:
Okay California folks. Its time to be a good citizen and let your political voice be heard. SEMA has given you a platform with which to
voice your opinion. We will only get one shot at this, so listen up! SEMA has managed to get a bill started to provide for definitive
testing for exhausts on cars, with actual equipment. No more will you be subjected to the discretion of the arresting officer. Their will
be actual testing done that will remove any preconceived notions of the officer writing the ticket. The way things are now in California
is if you get a ticket for a loud exhaust, you are guilty, with no way to prove your innocence. The state allows for 95 dB at a certain
distance called out in CHP Bulletin 98-100. However they have no means to measure that sound level. They have no dB meters, and
have no plans to buy any. You cannot bring one yourself, because its not a CHP dB meter and is therefore not valid. This leaves you
to either to pay the fine, or go try to plea your case in front of a judge.
This is a total breakdown of the legal system as we know it. Guilty - with no way to prove your innocence. But now we have a choice
in the form of S.B. 1081 started by SEMA and will be proposed by a car-friendly Sen. Maurice Johannessen on May 1. I asked Brian
Caudill what we could do as car enthusiasts to help.. this was his reply.
I cannot stress this enough.... If your club has 1000 members get as many of them to write, email, fax and attend the hearing as
possible. The fact of the matter is that 6-10 letters to an individual legislator can change a vote, yet most folks think that their voice
will never be heard.
Without support, this bill, like any other bill, will be scrapped. We need to flood the legislature with a deluge of communication in
favor of this bill. Feel free to resend our alert to as many people as possible to get this accomplished.
If you need anything else from SEMA, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Brian Caudill ([email protected])
SEMA Action Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is for real folks, it's our chance to help end the injustice. Forgive me for being dramatic here, but its rare that we, as car
enthusiasts, have a voice in politics. We WILL NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE. If you ever plan on running an aftermarket exhaust, this
law will protect your rights as a citizen and prevent the CHP from giving tickets that do nothing but line their pockets in a manner that
leaves you with no recourse for action. If you have not been ticketed yet, you will. Help me in writing all these congressman. I have
written every congressman and woman listed. Like Mr. Caudill mentioned, a few letters will help!
Its our American right to have a voice in politics. Its our duty as Americans to speak out at injustice. Please take 20 minutes to read
this letter, and let your voice be heard by all of these representatives and senators.
Here is the letter from Brian I got this morning, Please take the time read it…thanks for your time and support.
A few weeks back, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) contacted CA enthusiasts to see if anyone who had received a
modified exhaust ticket wanted to participate in a test to see if their exhaust was actually technically legal according to CA law.
Well, we did the test and it was extremely successful. Of all the cars tested, only one(!) failed to come in under the legal limit of 95
decibels - and this car only failed by .5 decibels!
Armed with this knowledge and the facts on our side, SEMA approached a vehicle-friendly California Senator, K. Maurice
Johannessen, and got legislation introduced to try and solve this problem once and for all.
Please read the legislative alert below and get involved on behalf of yourself, your clubs and teams and the import-performance
scene in California.
Brian Caudill ([email protected])
SEMA Action Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Legislation to Protect Hobbyists From Unfair Exhaust Noise Citations To be Heard in California Senate
SEMA-sponsored legislation to require law enforcement authorities to "objectively demonstrate" that a modified exhaust system does
not comply with California's noise level test standard before issuing a citation will be considered in the California Senate
Transportation Committee on May 1, 2001 at 1:30 pm in Room 3191 of the State Capitol. This information can be confirmed by
calling the Committee at (916) 445-3182 or by visiting the Senate Daily File at http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/schedules/files.htp
SEMA urges concerned CA hobbyists to attend the hearing on S.B. 1081. In addition, we encourage you to contact members of the
Senate Transportation Committee (list attached), as well as your own CA state senators to express your support for S.B. 1081.
S.B. 1081 would remove conflicting provisions in the law and regulations and force compliance with an objectively measured
standard. Under the standard, exhaust noise could not exceed a sound reading of 95-decibels in a fair and predictable test.
S.B. 1081 would benefit consumers, the aftermarket industry and police officers who are charged with enforcing the law.
S.B. 1081 would protect motorists who drive vehicles legally equipped with modified exhaust systems from being erroneously cited
for exceeding noise limits. Overwhelming evidence shows that many of these citations are being written in absence of any violation of
the code.
S.B. 1081 would remedy the enforcement policy currently used by police officers in which nearly all exhaust system modifications are
considered illegal, even where noise levels are not excessive or unusual. This policy leaves enthusiasts, exhaust system
manufacturers and dealers without recourse, despite having the law on their side.
Contact the Senate Transportation Committee and your own state legislators immediately to support S.B. 1081. Better still, plan on
attending the hearing. To find out who your state legislators are, contact the California Senate general information line at
916/445-4311. This information can also be accessed via the Internet at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html or by calling the
SEMA Washington, DC office at 202-783-6007.
Please email, fax (202-783-6024) or mail a copy of your letters to us in SEMA's Government Affairs Office.
SEMA Washington Office
1317 F St., NW, Ste. 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Attn: Steve McDonald/Brian Caudill
QUOTE:
Okay California folks. Its time to be a good citizen and let your political voice be heard. SEMA has given you a platform with which to
voice your opinion. We will only get one shot at this, so listen up! SEMA has managed to get a bill started to provide for definitive
testing for exhausts on cars, with actual equipment. No more will you be subjected to the discretion of the arresting officer. Their will
be actual testing done that will remove any preconceived notions of the officer writing the ticket. The way things are now in California
is if you get a ticket for a loud exhaust, you are guilty, with no way to prove your innocence. The state allows for 95 dB at a certain
distance called out in CHP Bulletin 98-100. However they have no means to measure that sound level. They have no dB meters, and
have no plans to buy any. You cannot bring one yourself, because its not a CHP dB meter and is therefore not valid. This leaves you
to either to pay the fine, or go try to plea your case in front of a judge.
This is a total breakdown of the legal system as we know it. Guilty - with no way to prove your innocence. But now we have a choice
in the form of S.B. 1081 started by SEMA and will be proposed by a car-friendly Sen. Maurice Johannessen on May 1. I asked Brian
Caudill what we could do as car enthusiasts to help.. this was his reply.
I cannot stress this enough.... If your club has 1000 members get as many of them to write, email, fax and attend the hearing as
possible. The fact of the matter is that 6-10 letters to an individual legislator can change a vote, yet most folks think that their voice
will never be heard.
Without support, this bill, like any other bill, will be scrapped. We need to flood the legislature with a deluge of communication in
favor of this bill. Feel free to resend our alert to as many people as possible to get this accomplished.
If you need anything else from SEMA, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Brian Caudill ([email protected])
SEMA Action Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is for real folks, it's our chance to help end the injustice. Forgive me for being dramatic here, but its rare that we, as car
enthusiasts, have a voice in politics. We WILL NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE. If you ever plan on running an aftermarket exhaust, this
law will protect your rights as a citizen and prevent the CHP from giving tickets that do nothing but line their pockets in a manner that
leaves you with no recourse for action. If you have not been ticketed yet, you will. Help me in writing all these congressman. I have
written every congressman and woman listed. Like Mr. Caudill mentioned, a few letters will help!
Its our American right to have a voice in politics. Its our duty as Americans to speak out at injustice. Please take 20 minutes to read
this letter, and let your voice be heard by all of these representatives and senators.
Here is the letter from Brian I got this morning, Please take the time read it…thanks for your time and support.
A few weeks back, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) contacted CA enthusiasts to see if anyone who had received a
modified exhaust ticket wanted to participate in a test to see if their exhaust was actually technically legal according to CA law.
Well, we did the test and it was extremely successful. Of all the cars tested, only one(!) failed to come in under the legal limit of 95
decibels - and this car only failed by .5 decibels!
Armed with this knowledge and the facts on our side, SEMA approached a vehicle-friendly California Senator, K. Maurice
Johannessen, and got legislation introduced to try and solve this problem once and for all.
Please read the legislative alert below and get involved on behalf of yourself, your clubs and teams and the import-performance
scene in California.
Brian Caudill ([email protected])
SEMA Action Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Legislation to Protect Hobbyists From Unfair Exhaust Noise Citations To be Heard in California Senate
SEMA-sponsored legislation to require law enforcement authorities to "objectively demonstrate" that a modified exhaust system does
not comply with California's noise level test standard before issuing a citation will be considered in the California Senate
Transportation Committee on May 1, 2001 at 1:30 pm in Room 3191 of the State Capitol. This information can be confirmed by
calling the Committee at (916) 445-3182 or by visiting the Senate Daily File at http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/schedules/files.htp
SEMA urges concerned CA hobbyists to attend the hearing on S.B. 1081. In addition, we encourage you to contact members of the
Senate Transportation Committee (list attached), as well as your own CA state senators to express your support for S.B. 1081.
S.B. 1081 would remove conflicting provisions in the law and regulations and force compliance with an objectively measured
standard. Under the standard, exhaust noise could not exceed a sound reading of 95-decibels in a fair and predictable test.
S.B. 1081 would benefit consumers, the aftermarket industry and police officers who are charged with enforcing the law.
S.B. 1081 would protect motorists who drive vehicles legally equipped with modified exhaust systems from being erroneously cited
for exceeding noise limits. Overwhelming evidence shows that many of these citations are being written in absence of any violation of
the code.
S.B. 1081 would remedy the enforcement policy currently used by police officers in which nearly all exhaust system modifications are
considered illegal, even where noise levels are not excessive or unusual. This policy leaves enthusiasts, exhaust system
manufacturers and dealers without recourse, despite having the law on their side.
Contact the Senate Transportation Committee and your own state legislators immediately to support S.B. 1081. Better still, plan on
attending the hearing. To find out who your state legislators are, contact the California Senate general information line at
916/445-4311. This information can also be accessed via the Internet at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html or by calling the
SEMA Washington, DC office at 202-783-6007.
Please email, fax (202-783-6024) or mail a copy of your letters to us in SEMA's Government Affairs Office.
SEMA Washington Office
1317 F St., NW, Ste. 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Attn: Steve McDonald/Brian Caudill
