The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) issued a statement today that it applauds the Senate for passing S.565 – the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act with unanimous consent. The bill, introduced earlier this year by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and James Lankford (R-OK), would require all federal agencies to consider using remanufactured parts when maintaining the federal vehicle fleet.
“This legislation has the potential to save millions of dollars for the Federal Government and would promote America’s remanufacturing industry,” said Steve Handschuh, MEMA president and CEO.
The legislation follows a 2013 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which confirmed the benefits of remanufactured motor vehicle parts. The federal government has more than 580,000 vehicles in its agency fleets, and spends $975 million a year on vehicle maintenance. The GAO report also confirmed that the use of remanufactured parts could save up to 20 percent in costs.
“We thank Senators Peters and Lankford for their leadership on this legislation, and we look forward to House approval as soon as possible,” added John Chalifoux, president of the Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA), a division of MEMA.
Companion legislation, H.R.1613, has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Brad Ashford (D-NE) and is awaiting approval at the committee level.
