Pettalia Says He's Happy Snyder Vetoed Restrictive Car Parts Bill HE Sponsored: Here's Why

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

Welcome to Lansing, where legislators are sometimes elated at their own bill being vetoed by the Governor...

According to Emily Lawler at MLive:

"Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have updated the state's Michigan Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act but also restricted the use of aftermarket auto parts for repairs.

Right now when vehicles are repaired in Michigan mechanics can use an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) part or an aftermarket auto part made by a different company, which is sometimes less expensive.

Under HB 4344 mechanics would have had to use an OEM part and not an aftermarket part on new vehicles under warranty or under five years old unless the vehicle owner signed a waiver.

Gov. Rick Snyder in a veto explanation said the bill "overreaches in the limitation of aftermarket parts." He said that could raise auto insurance rates and hurt Michigan's aftermarket parts industry."

And get this: the bill's sponsor is GLAD it was vetoed!

"Rep. Peter Pettalia, R-Presque Isle, sponsored the bill. He's a mechanic himself, and had volunteered to help update the code. But what emerged strayed pretty far from his original intent, he said.

"All the entities involved were getting greedy," Pettalia said.
He said that during the legislative process, he came close to throwing the bill away multiple times.

"I don't blame the governor one bit for vetoing this bill," he said."

Too greedy? In Lansing? Imagine that...
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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson