Health Care Relief for SEMA Members Blocked in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON--May 12, 2006--"It is very frustrating that a minority of lawmakers could not put aside election-year politics to provide health care relief to millions of small-business owners, their employees and their families," said Chris Kersting, president and CEO of SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association. A majority of senators voted in favor of S. 1955, legislation that would allow trade associations to offer affordable health care coverage to their members, but the bill did not gain the 60 votes required under Senate rules.

Passage of the "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act" remains a top legislative priority for SEMA following the Senate vote.

"The Senate vote marked a significant achievement," observed Kersting. "For the first time the legislation was debated on the floor and a majority of senators support the measure. SEMA will continue to pursue the bill until it is enacted into law."

S. 1955 would permit a trade association to offer a variety of health packages so long as at least one plan provided a certain threshold of mandates required by a number of states. This would guarantee that workers have access to plans with state-mandated benefits such as mammograms, diabetes care and well-child care.

SEMA mounted its largest grassroots effort ever in support of the bill. SEMA member companies and their workers responded with thousands of phone calls, letters and e-mails to their U.S. senators asking for their affirmative vote. SEMA coordinated its campaign through the Small Business Health Plan Coalition under the direction of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) so that the collective voices of millions of businesses and workers would be heard on Capitol Hill.

"SEMA mobilized its own workforce to pursue this operation," said Steve McDonald, SEMA's vice president for government affairs. "In an unprecedented operation, SEMA staff were simultaneously lobbying lawmakers in the Senate offices and coordinating membership involvement through e-mails, action alerts, faxes and direct phone calls. A banner on the SEMA Web site even allowed the public to quickly send a message to their senators."

SEMA takes this opportunity to give special thanks to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) for introducing the measure and Sens. Ben Nelson (D-WY) and Conrad Burns (R-MT) as principal co-sponsors. SEMA also recognizes Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for her vote in favor of small businesses.

"We've achieved more with this bill in the Senate than any other small-business health bill in more than a dozen years," said Enzi following the vote. "The voice of people without insurance keeps getting louder. My colleagues will have to listen. We're going to keep up the effort to move these small-business health plans forward."

Immediate next steps for the legislation are unclear at this time. However, SEMA will continue to actively push for further attention to this critical matter.

SEMA represents the $32 billion specialty automotive industry. Founded in 1963, the trade association has 6,466 member companies. It is the authoritative source of research data, trends and market growth information for automakers and the specialty auto products industry. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger cars, minivans, trucks, SUVs, crossovers and recreational vehicles. For more information, contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765-3914; call 909-396-0289; or visit www.sema.org or www.enjoythedrive.com.

                                S. 1955
                     Health Insurance Marketplace
              Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005

A bill to expand health care access and reduce costs through the
creation of small-business health plans and through modernization of
the health insurance marketplace.



                Vote count: 55 yes, 43 no, 2 not voting

                     Alphabetical by Senator Name


Akaka (D-HI), No
Alexander (R-TN), Yes
Allard (R-CO), Yes
Allen (R-VA), Yes
Baucus (D-MT), No
Bayh (D-IN), No
Bennett (R-UT), Yes
Biden (D-DE), No
Bingaman (D-NM), No
Bond (R-MO), Yes
Boxer (D-CA), No
Brownback (R-KS), Yes
Bunning (R-KY), Yes
Burns (R-MT), Yes
Burr (R-NC), Yes
Byrd (D-WV), No
Cantwell (D-WA), No
Carper (D-DE), No
Chafee (R-RI), No
Chambliss (R-GA), Yes
Clinton (D-NY), No
Coburn (R-OK), Yes
Cochran (R-MS), Yes
Coleman (R-MN), Yes
Collins (R-ME), Yes
Conrad (D-ND), No
Cornyn (R-TX), Yes
Craig (R-ID), Yes
Crapo (R-ID), Yes
Dayton (D-MN), No
DeMint (R-SC), Yes
DeWine (R-OH), Yes
Dodd (D-CT), No
Dole (R-NC), Yes
Domenici (R-NM), Yes
Dorgan (D-ND), No
Durbin (D-IL), No
Ensign (R-NV), Yes
Enzi (R-WY), Yes
Feingold (D-WI), No
Feinstein (D-CA), No
Frist (R-TN), Yes
Graham (R-SC), Yes
Grassley (R-IA), Yes
Gregg (R-NH), Yes
Hagel (R-NE), Yes
Harkin (D-IA), No
Hatch (R-UT), Yes
Hutchison (R-TX), Yes
Inhofe (R-OK), Yes
Inouye (D-HI), No
Isakson (R-GA), Yes
Jeffords (I-VT), No
Johnson (D-SD), No
Kennedy (D-MA), No
Kerry (D-MA), No
Kohl (D-WI), No
Kyl (R-AZ), Yes
Landrieu (D-LA), Yes
Lautenberg (D-NJ), No
Leahy (D-VT), No
Levin (D-MI), No
Lieberman (D-CT), No
Lincoln (D-AR), No
Lott (R-MS), Yes
Lugar (R-IN), Yes
Martinez (R-FL), Yes
McCain (R-AZ), Yes
McConnell (R-KY), Yes
Menendez (D-NJ), No
Mikulski (D-MD), No
Murkowski (R-AK), Yes
Murray (D-WA), No
Nelson (D-FL), No
Nelson (D-NE), Yes
Obama (D-IL), No
Pryor (D-AR), No
Reed (D-RI), No
Reid (D-NV), No
Roberts (R-KS), Yes
Rockefeller (D-WV), Did not vote
Salazar (D-CO), No
Santorum (R-PA), Yes
Sarbanes (D-MD), No
Schumer (D-NY), No
Sessions (R-AL), Yes
Shelby (R-AL), Yes
Smith (R-OR), Yes
Snowe (R-ME), Yes
Specter (R-PA), Did not vote
Stabenow (D-MI), No
Stevens (R-AK), Yes
Sununu (R-NH), Yes
Talent (R-MO), Yes
Thomas (R-WY), Yes
Thune (R-SD), Yes
Vitter (R-LA), Yes
Voinovich (R-OH), Yes
Warner (R-VA), Yes
Wyden (D-OR), No

Grouped by State

Alabama:
Sessions (R-AL), Yes
Shelby (R-AL), Yes

Alaska:
Murkowski (R-AK), Yes
Stevens (R-AK), Yes

Arizona:
Kyl (R-AZ), Yes
McCain (R-AZ), Yes

Arkansas:
Lincoln (D-AR), No
Pryor (D-AR), No

California:
Boxer (D-CA), No
Feinstein (D-CA), No

Colorado:
Allard (R-CO), Yes
Salazar (D-CO), No

Connecticut:
Dodd (D-CT), No
Lieberman (D-CT), No

Delaware:
Biden (D-DE), No
Carper (D-DE), No

Florida:
Martinez (R-FL), Yes
Nelson (D-FL), No

Georgia:
Chambliss (R-GA), Yes
Isakson (R-GA), Yes

Hawaii:
Akaka (D-HI), No
Inouye (D-HI), No

Idaho:
Craig (R-ID), Yes
Crapo (R-ID), Yes

Illinois:
Durbin (D-IL), No
Obama (D-IL), No

Indiana:
Bayh (D-IN), No
Lugar (R-IN), Yes

Iowa:
Grassley (R-IA), Yes
Harkin (D-IA), No

Kansas:
Brownback (R-KS), Yes
Roberts (R-KS), Yes

Kentucky:
Bunning (R-KY), Yes
McConnell (R-KY), Yes

Louisiana:
Landrieu (D-LA), Yes
Vitter (R-LA), Yes

Maine:
Collins (R-ME), Yes
Snowe (R-ME), Yes

Maryland:
Mikulski (D-MD), No
Sarbanes (D-MD), No

Massachusetts:
Kennedy (D-MA), No
Kerry (D-MA), No

Michigan:
Levin (D-MI), No
Stabenow (D-MI), No

Minnesota:
Coleman (R-MN), Yes
Dayton (D-MN), No

Mississippi:
Cochran (R-MS), Yes
Lott (R-MS), Yes

Missouri:
Bond (R-MO), Yes
Talent (R-MO), Yes

Montana:
Baucus (D-MT), No
Burns (R-MT), Yes

Nebraska:
Hagel (R-NE), Yes
Nelson (D-NE), Yes

Nevada:
Ensign (R-NV), Yes
Reid (D-NV), No

New Hampshire:
Gregg (R-NH), Yes
Sununu (R-NH), Yes

New Jersey:
Lautenberg (D-NJ), No
Menendez (D-NJ), No

New Mexico:
Bingaman (D-NM), No
Domenici (R-NM), Yes

New York:
Clinton (D-NY), No
Schumer (D-NY), No

North Carolina:
Burr (R-NC), Yes
Dole (R-NC), Yes

North Dakota:
Conrad (D-ND), No
Dorgan (D-ND), No

Ohio:
DeWine (R-OH), Yes
Voinovich (R-OH), Yes

Oklahoma:
Coburn (R-OK), Yes
Inhofe (R-OK), Yes

Oregon:
Smith (R-OR), Yes
Wyden (D-OR), No

Pennsylvania:
Santorum (R-PA), Yes
Specter (R-PA), Did not vote

Rhode Island:
Chafee (R-RI), No
Reed (D-RI), No

South Carolina:
DeMint (R-SC), Yes
Graham (R-SC), Yes

South Dakota:
Johnson (D-SD), No
Thune (R-SD), Yes

Tennessee:
Alexander (R-TN), Yes
Frist (R-TN), Yes

Texas:
Cornyn (R-TX), Yes
Hutchison (R-TX), Yes

Utah:
Bennett (R-UT), Yes
Hatch (R-UT), Yes

Vermont:
Jeffords (I-VT), No
Leahy (D-VT), No

Virginia:
Allen (R-VA), Yes
Warner (R-VA), Yes

Washington:
Cantwell (D-WA), No
Murray (D-WA), No

West Virginia:
Byrd (D-WV), No
Rockefeller (D-WV), Did not vote

Wisconsin:
Feingold (D-WI), No
Kohl (D-WI), No

Wyoming:
Enzi (R-WY), Yes
Thomas (R-WY), Yes