Joe Holleman
Political correspondent/columnist
When not fighting for victims of radiation exposure, U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Ben Ray Lujan are assisting motorists.
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, have introduced a bill that would increase car owners’ options for automobile repairs.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley in Bridgeton on Monday (Photo by Zachary Linares of the Post-Dispatch)
The senators contend the legislation would help after-market repair shops provide safe and affordable repairs for consumers.
“Big corporations have a history of gatekeeping basic information that belongs to car owners, effectively forcing consumers to pay a fixed price whenever their car is in the shop,†Hawley said in a statement.
Among other provisions, the bill would make it easier for vehicle owners, and their repair shops, to access vehicle data. It also would prohibit automakers from requiring shops to use a specific brand or maker of tools, parts and other vehicle equipment.
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Hawley and Lujan have been more conspicuous recently in their effort to get sites in New Mexico and Missouri — including West Lake Landfill and Coldwater Creek in north ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County and Weldon Spring in St. Charles County — added to the list of states eligible for federal compensation due to radiation exposure from World War II/Cold War atomic weapons production.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, urges House to approve an expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of March 30, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
