AB 204 to help body shops

A recently formed group of dedicated members of the automobile-collision industry registered one of its biggest accomplishment during the 2011 Nevada legislative session.

The Nevada Collision Industry Association, a statewide organization established in 2003, spearheaded Assembly Bill 204, which amended a previous total-loss bill. Gov. Brian Sandoval signed the bill into law last week.

"With the change in the law, the shops will fix more cars and they will also hire more people," explained Kurtis Rosborough, who heads the association and owns Certified Auto Body Center at 4542 W. Hacienda Ave. in Las Vegas. "The entire industry, from the parts manufacturers to the paint suppliers and the body shops, will benefit by the recent passage of AB 204. Ultimately, the law helps the consumer, too, because more cars can now be fixed rather that ruled a total loss."

Rosborough said that in the past, repair costs for damaged vehicles could not exceed 65 percent of the car's actual value with some exemptions. If repairs did exceed the limit, the car was deemed a total loss, which left the consumer without a vehicle while still owing more than the car was worth.

"As an example, if your vehicle was worth $10,000 and you owed $15,000 and the car was termed to be total loss, you were responsible for the additional $5,000," explained Rosborough. "With AB 204, the consumer can now get their cars fixed because the economics of repair costs have been modified because of the exemptions added to the new law."

According to Rosborough, exemptions under the new bill include items like electronic components. In the case of recovered stolen vehicles, exemptions include tires and wheels, along with audio and visual equipment.

"With these exemptions, we are allowed more room to fix cars that should be repaired and not deemed a total loss," Rosborough said. "Simply put, there are a lot of safe vehicles that can be repaired correctly rather than being deemed a total loss."

Rosborough said that the new bill was the result of 18 months of hard work.

"We received a lot of help from the entire industry," Rosborough said. "Help included the original author and former Speaker of the House Barbara Buckley and Dan Wulz, who works closely with Buckley. We all wanted to make sure that the consumer benefited by the changes in the law."

Rosborough also credited Nevada Assemblywoman and Transportation Chairman Marilyn Loop, who termed the bill a "win-win for everyone" along with the association's director, Mike Harris, who authored the bill; Brian Kelley of Fairway Chevrolet; consultant and adviser Mike Spears; lobbyist Marlene Lockard of Capital Partners; the association's northern board including Jim Jackson, Rick Anderson, Tim Waldren, Frank Horn and Linda Barrett; and Southern Nevada board members Jeff Bagley, owner of American Auto Body, and Matt Gondini, manager of Gaudin Ford Body Shop.

Veteran automobile executive Jim Marsh, who owns Jim Marsh Body Shop in the northwest valley, lauded the association for its work.

"The NCIA works together for the cause of our mutual benefit," Marsh said. "It is an associates' trade group which does a great job. Before the new law, many people could not get their cars fixed and many lost their jobs."

"Credit Kurtis for the passage of this law," Gondini added. "He worked 10 times harder on this than anyone else. He devoted so much energy, and he takes away from his personal life to make sure this sort of thing happens. We're all gaining because of him."

The Nevada Collision Industry Association consists of hundreds of members that encompass the entire industry in Nevada. For more information, call Rosborough at 362-9500.