GNYADA May 2017 Newsletter

Are You Signed Up for the NYS EV Rebate Program? Another tool in the salesperson’s toolbox 7

Sales staff at Penn Toyota noted that the rebate offer is attractive to cus- tomers because the vehicle price is automatically reduced by the dealer, participating dealers simply reduce the contract price by the rebate amount, passing full savings on to the customer at the point of sale. After a dealer logs on to the Dealer Portal to upload documents for an EV transaction, they can visually observe the reservation of rebate funds via the “Remaining Budget” gauge on nyserda.ny.gov. “The state has been clear and concise with directions,” continued DeAngelo. “It’s not confus- ing, it’s been rolled out well to the dealers, and we hit the ground run- ning with our salespeople.”

More than a hundred greater New York dealers are taking advantage of New York State’s “Drive Clean” elec- tric vehicle rebate program to help close more deals. “We orientated sales staff with the program and also reviewed NYSERDA’s materials in our weekly sales meeting,” said Richard DeAngelo, New Vehicle Sales Manager at Rallye BMW. “Customers have come into our store already interested in a car, and the rebate has helped make the deal more affordable for them. It’s another tool in the sales- person’s toolbox.” Rallye BMW car- ries several rebate-eligible EV models and has incorporated NYSERDA's materials into their marketing strategy. President Trump repealed a Labor Department rule known as the “Volks Rule” which extended the window in which OSHA may sanction employers who fail to report workplace injuries and illnesses. Historically, there was a six-month statute of limitations in which OSHA could pursue record- keeping violations, but the Volks Rule expanded this to the entire five-year record retention period. The Volks rule took effect in January 2017, immediately before the end of the Obama presidency. House officials argued that OSHA had overreached its regulatory authority by passing the Volks Rule, and introduced legislation to repeal it; this measure, which was supported by

NYSERDA provides registering deal- ers with packages of marketing mate- rials, including posters publicizing available EV rebates, fact sheets about EV-ownership, and window stickers identifying the dealership as a participant in the program. If your dealership sells qualifying EVs but has not yet enrolled in the rebate program, sign up by visiting nyserda.ny.gov/EV-Dealer-Sign-Up . If NYSERDA discovers a dealership has violated program rules — by, for example, inflating the vehicle price by the rebate amount — the agreement will be terminated.

2017 Economic Impact Survey The Economic Impact Study is one of the most important surveys the Association does. The data collected allows GNYADA to demonstrate the positive impact dealers have on metro NY and to inform legislators about dealers’ importance to the economy. Support this effort by returning the enclosed survey, or get it online at gnyada.com/survey. (Please complete a form for each dealership.)

OSHA’s “Volks Rules” Repealed New measure reduces statute of limitations on record-keeping violations 8

NADA, swiftly passed both houses of Congress before being signed by President Trump. The Volks Rule was officially reversed on May 3, 2017. While OSHA is now prohibited from issuing citations beyond the six- month statute of limitations, employers are still required to maintain injury and illness records for five years. During this period, employers should continue to update their OSHA 300 Logs whenever there is new information that may impact those incident records. For more questions about workplace injury/illness reporting requirements, call GNYADA at 718.746.5900.

For more info, contact Jennifer Berman at jennifer@gnyada.com.

Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association • www.gnyada.com

The Newsletter • May 2017 5