From the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
SEMA has pulled the curtain back on its advocacy strategy for 2027, releasing its 2027 Advocacy Agenda at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The advocacy agenda is an important piece of SEMA’s acclaimed efforts to inform and engage its members on the federal and state issues that impact the automotive aftermarket industry and the nation’s enthusiasts.
The advocacy agenda annually serves as a reference point throughout the year, with SEMA providing regular updates on the progress of the issues outlined within.
View SEMA’s 2027 Advocacy Agenda.
Issues outlined in the advocacy agenda fall under a series of “rights” that American aftermarket businesses and automotive enthusiasts are owed and deserve:
- The Right to Modify, ensuring the sustainability of the automotive aftermarket industry.
- The Right to Race, protecting racetracks and the future of motorsports.
- The Right to Preserve, sharing our automotive heritage with the next generation.
- The Right to Explore, keeping America’s public lands accessible for motorized recreation.
- The Right to Build, ensuring America’s skilled workers, small businesses, and domestic manufacturers can thrive.
- The Right to Choose, protecting consumer choice in the automotive space.
“It’s important to remember that even as we face nationwide uncertainty in Congress and the states because of the results of the midterm elections, SEMA has always delivered impactful advocacy on behalf of the automotive aftermarket industry and enthusiasts across the U.S., regardless of who is in power,” said Karen Bailey-Chapman, SEMA’s senior vice president for public and government affairs. “As long as we maintain an engaged group of advocates and continue to tell the story of how our industry resonates on an economic and cultural scale, SEMA will remain well-positioned to secure laws and policies that will help aftermarket businesses and their customers thrive.”
To learn more, visit sema.org/advocacy.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), a landmark agreement between the public and private sectors to provide a framework for existing land management to become more consistent, scalable and measurable nationally while supporting practical coordination at the state and field-office level.
The formalizing of the relationship between ORBA and BLM will help advance work already underway to connect national discussions with localized efforts, improve early communication with proponents, expand education and stewardship opportunities, and establish tangible results that can be reviewed over time.
“Public land stewardship works best when we bring people to the table early and focus on solutions,” said Steve Pearce, BLM Director. “This agreement strengthens our partnership with ORBA and gives us a better way of working together. By collaborating with ORBA earlier and more consistently, we can improve access and give our field offices and local communities the tools they need to support responsible recreation on America’s public lands.”
“ORBA is thrilled for the opportunity to engage formally with our partners at the Department of the Interior and BLM for a shared mission to better understand and promote responsible recreation and stewardship of public lands,” said Laura Butcher, ORBA’s legislative director. “Our public lands are a national treasure, and we all benefit when all stakeholders are pulling in the same direction in service of preserving access for all.”
The MOU is designed to support responsible outdoor recreation, public lands stewardship, workforce awareness, recreation infrastructure improvements and data-driven evaluation of the economic contributions associated with motorized recreation on public lands.
The MOU covers several critical objectives, in which BLM and ORBA will:
- Workforce awareness and career outreach.
- Stewardship and public lands projects.
- Recreation opportunity coordination.
- Economic impact and research collaboration.
Among the immediate initiatives is the development of a practical “Do I Need a Permit?” session and pursuing opportunities to offer it across the popular Overland Expo series of enthusiast events. ORBA will also provide practical support and basic education for Title III and Special Recreation Permits, Paleontological Resource Use Permits and Scientific Research Permits and Authorization.
The MOU will provide a more consistent framework for connecting these efforts, helping to translate national-level conversations into practical work with BLM offices, industry partners, permittees and recreation communities, while giving both ORBA and BLM clearer opportunities to identify where coordination is useful and productive.
There is no federal funding tied to this MOU, and therefore serves as an example of how private-public partnerships can help meet national challenges through collaboration, communication and resource sharing. The agreement would not change BLM’s permitting authority or ORBA’s ability to advocate independently. It would provide a clearer structure for the areas where coordination between BLM and ORBA can be productive.
Background on the Five-Year MOU
While this formal relationship is new, DOI and BLM are already familiar with ORBA, which has worked with both agencies at the national level, coordinating directly with state and field offices and helping businesses and permit proponents navigate issues on the ground.
In June, ORBA participated in meetings in Washington, D.C., with the White House, DOI, BLM, congressional offices and House Natural Resources Committee staff focused on travel management, motorized access and other public-lands issues.
Much of the work envisioned during the crafting of the MOU is already underway. ORBA has a well-established working relationship with BLM’s Nevada and California offices, including years of involvement in special recreation permitting and education, economic impact work, and technical meetings.
Get the complete details in the release here.
SEMA Issues Statement on November 3, 2026, Election
Following Tuesday’s election results, SEMA’s Washington, D.C., office issued the following statement:
Elections are a funny thing. They deliver change and, with that, heartburn and anxiety. They also present opportunities to adjust course and plot new strategies.
The outcome of the 2026 midterm election is no different. Here at SEMA, we’re aware that November 3’s results will create for our members uncertainty and consternation that we largely avoided in 2024.
But don’t forget that second part of what elections bring: opportunity. And with that in mind, we want the aftermarket industry to know we’ve got a plan.
SEMA has a track record of delivering impactful advocacy across multiple administrations and Congresses. And regardless of who controls the House and the Senate, we’ve proven we can get the job done for our members, the industry and the nation’s automotive enthusiasts.
Here’s where our focus remains: first on the issues, then on who voters elected.
Our story is told by showcasing the people who make up this industry and by highlighting the economic clout on display at the 2026 SEMA Show. That foundation provides a framework for our work in Washington, D.C.
And it’s upon that foundation that SEMA will continue to protect the right to modify, the right to race and the right to explore.
To learn more, visit sema.org/advocacy.
Source: www.sema.org
