Portman cosponsors bipartisan National Historic Vehicle Register Act

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) on Sept. 10 introduced a bipartisan bill that would establish a program to accurately document vehicles that were significant in the history of the United States.

“This bipartisan bill would hold up the American craftsmanship that produced historic motorcycles and cars like the Model T that changed our economy and changed the way we live in such important ways,” Sen. Portman said.

Sen. Portman cosponsored the National Historic Vehicle Register Act of 2019, S. 2455, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) to require the U.S. Department of the Interior to create a register, administered by the Library of Congress, to safeguard the registry of documented historically significant automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, and commercial vehicles, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Portman’s office.

If enacted, S. 2455 would create a standalone register to preserve the records of historically significant vehicles that included narratives, photographs and engineering drawings of each vehicle, according to the summary, which noted that eligibility would be determined by the connection between a vehicle and a significant person or event in American history; a unique design; or its standing as a rare model.

“Ohio is the second biggest car-producing state in the Union and more than 300,000 Ohioans work in the auto industry. Making cars is part of who we are,” said Sen. Portman. “At home in my garage, I have a Model T Ford with its original 1917 Ohio license plates; the same model and year that my dad drove to high school in Cincinnati. I’ve bought two Ohio-made cars in recent years, but that Model T will always be special to me.”

S. 2455, which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for consideration, is endorsed by the Historic Vehicle Association.