The National Automobile Dealers Association Convention will feature an exhibit on regulations that will include more than two dozen representatives from federal agencies.

These employees from 14 offices of nine federal agencies will be on hand to answer questions and comments about government regulations that affect dealers, the NADA announced.

Bill Newman, the association's chief operating officer for legal affairs, said he believes the booth offers an opportunity for both the regulators and the regulated to benefit.

"Learning and clarification rather than complaining is what I think the goal of it is" for dealers, Newman said. Regulators will get feedback and "learn more about the real world.”

NADA President Phil Brady said one of his near-term priorities is to get lawmakers and Bush administration officials to understand better what he calls the heavy regulatory burden on dealers. He also seeks to protect dealers who make good-faith efforts at compliance, a concept called "safe harbor."

Currently, the NADA seeks to limit the scope of a Federal Communications Commission rule that prohibits fax transmissions without previous written consent, the so-called do-not-fax rule. As a first step, the FCC has postponed the rule's effective date until mid-2005.

The opportunity for dialogue with regulators may help dealers discover easier ways to comply with regulations that trouble them, Newman said. And government officials who walk the convention floor may gain a better understanding of the challenges that dealers face, he added.