An upcoming Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) open board meeting will include a special session from Patrick Dorais, chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), and Mathew Gibson, BAR program manager.

The meeting will be held on Jan. 21 from 2-5 p.m. in the Tapestry Room at the Hilton Palm Springs in California.

Dorais and Gibson will discuss the state of the association and provide updates on its collision repair industry programs and initiatives.

Patrick Dorais

In 2023, California passed AB 1263, providing the BAR authority to address storage fees, codify its guidance, and unify existing law on the subject.

Throughout 2024, BAR held workshops to discuss proposed regulations on storage and towing fees. The bureau is working to finalize its draft regulations and will file them with the Office of Administrative Law to begin the official rulemaking process. The process includes a 45-day public comment period for all stakeholders.

BAR has also proposed changes to the California Code of Regulations that will change requirements around teardown disclosures collision repair shops and automotive repair dealers provide to consumers before disassembly.

Dorais and Gibson will present both proposed regulation changes, the process the bureau undertook to collect feedback and its impact on final proposals, and an update on where the BAR is in the process. There will also be time for Q&A and discussion with attendees.

The upcoming open meeting will include updates on core member programs, such as the SCRS benefits offerings, and presentations from SCRS staff and committees outlining current and future work initiatives.

Attendees are not required to be a member of SCRS to participate. There is no cost and pre-registration is not required. However, seating will be first come, first served and SCRS anticipates the event will fill up quickly.

Mathew Gibson

“Having these conversations with agencies like this is so important for our membership and the industry as a whole,” said Amber Alley, SCRS chair and manager of California-based Barsotti’s Body and Fender, in an SCRS press release.

“We’re all very grateful to Patrick and Mathew for agreeing to participate, as there is a lot of value gained from having interactive dialog between our membership and the agencies responsible for enforcing the regulations. Dialog like this couples nicely with our other committee updates and presentations and makes for a strong in-person kick-off to the year.”

During its January 2024 open meeting, SCRS hosted Tony Cignarale, deputy commissioner of consumer services and market conduct for the California Department of Insurance. Cignarale similarly presented the activities the office engages in to serve auto insurance consumers.

The SCRS Education Committee will also present its annual overview of “Kool Tools from the SEMA Show and Beyond.” Last year’s presentation and other information industry videos are available on SCRS’ YouTube channel.

A Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting will follow on Jan. 22 from 8-5 p.m. at the same venue in the Horizon Ballroom.

The CIC agenda includes a presentation by the Parts & Materials committee, co-chaired by SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg.
The presentation will focus on additional California regulatory changes, helping to understand Air Quality Management District amendments to low volatile organic compound (VOC) refinish regulations.

After holding multiple public workshops, the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board approved a plan to phase out specific solvents in low-VOC paint manufacturing within the district due to a recent toxicity report from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

The presentation will feature Heather Farr, South Coast AQMD planning and rules manager, and representatives from the American Coatings Association, PPE manufacturers, and collision repair facilities. They will discuss the rule changes and what they mean to the industry.

CIC’s discounted hotel room rates at the Hilton Palm Springs can be accessed here. Pre-registration for CIC closes Jan. 10.

Images

Featured image: The Society of Collision Repair Specialists holds its January 2019 open board meeting. (Repairer Driven News file photo)