A lot of the biggest threats to the automotive aftermarket don’t start in Washington. They start quietly in a statehouse, inside a bill that sounds harmless until you read the fine print.
Stacey Miller is joined by Donovan Ringo, our director of state affairs and grassroots at the Auto Care Association, to break down what it really takes to monitor and respond to fast-moving state legislation across nearly every state in session. Donovan shares how his background at NAPA, from emerging EV strategy to hands-on workforce development, shaped the way he thinks about advocacy, training pipelines, and the future of auto repair. We talk about the real-world issues members flag every day, from parts restrictions and insurance steering to apprenticeship programs, scholarships, and state funding that can make or break technician recruiting.
You’ll hear concrete examples of what’s happening right now: Utah language tied to OEM procedures that can effectively push OEM-only parts, Kansas momentum that mirrors Maine and Massachusetts right to repair efforts focused on access to OEM data, plus the on-the-ground reality of monitoring similar bills in Iowa and Georgia. We also dig into why “equivalent quality” definitions matter, how we educate lawmakers on certified aftermarket parts, and why a strong grassroots network and the Auto Care PAC (ACPAC) support help the industry show up with clarity and credibility.
If you care about right to repair, consumer choice, repair affordability, and a healthy aftermarket workforce, this conversation connects the dots and shows where you can plug in. Subscribe, share this with someone in your state, and leave a rating and review so more people find the show.
To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.
To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast
