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Letter to the Editor

Proactive

Our feature article may trigger some memories of high school civics class. I hazily recall a chapter about States’ Rights versus Federal centralization of power. Congress will definitely be debating the pros and cons of federal regulation of insurance for some time to come.

Insurer regulation on a national level is a complicated issue. Collision repair shop owners and associations, insurers, and consumers are all divided on the subject. It is important for all industry participants to keep track of what is happening and what proposed legislative changes may mean.

Improving responsiveness to industry needs has become a top priority for I-CAR, according to Jeff Peevy, director of the organization’s field operations. At I-CAR’s annual conference, held in late July, I-CAR promised to strictly measure everything it does, and to seek feedback from the industry. Read more on page 8.

The big news this month comes at us from the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting held in Washington DC in July. After lots of hard work, the CIC Database Committee, led by its determined chairman, Lou DiLisio, has succeeded in getting CCC Information Services to back down (at least on one sore point). CCC announced at the meeting that the company will adjust its printed estimates to indicate how the estimator responded to the “bumper refinish prompt.” See page 13 for more about this subject.

If you think that becoming active in local, state, or national industry associations is a big waste of time, re-read the CIC Report on page 13! Without the organized protests from CIC and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), CCC Information Services would certainly have won the “battle of the bumper.”

So, if you have not already done so, plan to attend NACE 2009, scheduled for the first week of November in Las Vegas. Become informed, find your voice, and be proactive!

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