The third annual event came just seven weeks after the unexpected resignation of SCRS Executive Director Dan Risley, who in August announced he was leaving the post after eight years to accept a position with Allstate Insurance.

SCRS Chairman Gary Wano kicked off the meeting in Chicago by acknowledging that Risley's departure was "a loss for SCRS" but said, "Dan's efforts left us in a great position to continue the work the association had been doing.

"The search committee has narrowed our search down, and I see no reason why, after one more series of interviews, we will not be announcing our new executive director at the end of December or first of January," Wano told the state affiliate representatives.

The daylong meeting was then split between two activities: discussion of industry issues or projects on which SCRS is addressing or considering addressing and for which it wanted input from affiliates, and brief reports from each of the affiliate groups on their recent lobbying activities in their states.

For example, Bruce Halcro, a shop owner in Helena, Mont., and president of the Montana Collision Repair Specialists, said that state organization was able to strengthen the Montana antisteering law with wording that prohibits insurers from requiring a vehicle-owner to go to a particular shop for either an estimate or repair.

Prior to the change, Halcro said, the law only prevented insurers from requiring the "use" of a particular shop, which some insurers skirted by saying they were sending consumers to a particular shop only for an estimate.

Halcro also said Montana insurers are, if only reluctantly, abiding by a 3-year-old association-backed law that requires any shop meeting the requirements of a direct repair program to be allowed to participate.

"They're not opening their arms and saying welcome to the fold. It still takes some effort," he said. But he cited some examples of shops that with some persistence had been able to participate in insurer DRPs from which they'd previously been excluded.

Tim Waldren, a national executive board member of SCRS but also representing the Nevada Collision Industry Association at the meeting, said that as of last January, collision shops are required to complete a labor rate survey at a state Web site as part of the required shop license renewal.

Waldren said the results of the survey are posted online, and that he believes the process has resulted in insurers acknowledging a higher prevailing labor rate.

Jordan Hendler, executive director of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Auto Body Association, said the November issue of the group's "Hammer & Dolly" publication would be aimed at consumers, with information designed to educate vehicle owners about issues related to auto insurance and collision repair. She said it will be designed as something a shop could leave in its customer area and that the association expects to do a similar consumer-focused issue each year.

Judell Anderson, executive director of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN), said an association-backed state law prohibiting an insurer from "unilaterally and arbitrarily disregard(ing) a repair operation or cost identified by an estimating system" has been in effect since Aug. 1. They said shops are reporting some improvements in insurer reimbursement based on the estimating system agreed to by shops and insurers.

"It's still all over the board who is paying what, but we're seeing changes, small changes," said Bruce Tschida, a Lakeville, Minn., shop owner and AASP-MN board member.

Howard Batchelor, director of operations for the Georgia Collision Industry Association, and Pat Gisler, executive director of the Automotive Service Councils of Kentucky, both reported more recent success in getting the association's concerns heard and addressed by their state's insurance commissioners.

Batchelor said the Georgia insurance commissioner was slated to speak at an association meeting in October to address 12 questions prepared by the group. And Gisler said Sharon Clark, who became Kentucky's insurance commissioner in July, has more of a background in consumer protection than insurance.

"This is the first time I've walked out of the office and felt like we'd made some headway," Gisler said.

Representatives of other SCRS state affiliate groups shared ideas that others may find helpful for their associations.

Jim Thompson of the Iowa Collision Repair Association said his group has worked to inform state representatives of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) about repairer concerns, which has helped get the support and help of NFIB at the state Legislature.

Dale Matsumoto of the Automotive Body Painting Association of Hawaii said that group has worked with Geico Insurance on a program in which the insurer pays a portion of the shop wages of apprentice technicians.

Tony Passwater, executive director of the Indiana Auto Body Association, said he'd like to see state groups work jointly on a Web site (www.myconsumerrights.info) designed to provide consumers with information about collision repair and insurance claims.

During the second half of the meeting, SCRS board members outlined several industry issues in order to discuss with the state affiliate groups what, if any, position or action they feel the national association should take.

Wano, for example, said SCRS has continued to address repairer concerns regarding the use of remanufactured wheels.

"Currently, there's no way to trace back to who remanufactured a wheel," he said. "One of the things we're working on now is to try to put together some type of stamping identification process. Anyone remanufacturing a wheel will have to put a stamp within that wheel so that in the event of a failure, we have information on who should be held liable."

Another SCRS board member, Stephen Regan, outlined some of the arguments supporting and opposing a proposed shift toward federal rather than state regulation of insurers. Regan said it was unlikely that proposed federal legislation on the issue would move forward this year but that it was something SCRS and the industry could expect the new Congress to consider next year.

Industry consultant Lou DiLisio said SCRS and its affiliate groups should also consider the possible ramifications of automaker efforts to obtain design patents on body parts that would prohibit production and sale of non-OEM versions of those parts.

The International Trade Commission ruled in Ford's favor when the automaker cited patent infringement by non-OEM parts makers and distributors selling parts for the Ford F-150. DiLisio said that ruling is under appeal but has led to large increases in the number of design patent applications by the automakers for current and upcoming model-year vehicle parts.

Attendees at the event appeared somewhat divided over whether OEM design patents are likely to have primarily positive or negative implications for the repair industry, making it an issue the SCRS board probably will continue to research and follow in the coming year.

Wano closed out the meeting by providing attendees with a preview of the findings of a second annual survey of SCRS members asking which of nine issues -- including DRP requirements, third-party estimate audits, or insurer-dictated repair procedures--have the most impact on repairers.

Results of the survey will be released by the association later this fall.