Garage Logic Podcast: "3/23 Proposed new bill threatens the classic car community"

Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Joe Soucheray ("The Mayor")
Team: Chris Reivers, Kenny Olson, John Haidt, Matthew, and others

Episode Overview

Main Theme:
This episode dives into the controversy surrounding Minnesota House File 3865—a proposed bill that threatens the freedoms of classic car owners and enthusiasts. The Garage Logic crew, deeply embedded in the classic car community, examines what the bill really says, the potential implications for daily drivers with collector plates, and what this means for car culture in Minnesota. Broader themes include government overreach, taxation, and the ever-present tension between citizens and new regulatory proposals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ice-Out Records and Garage Logic Banter

(03:04–05:23)

• Joe brings back the long-missed "ice-out" updates, recapping the earliest and most notable ice-out dates for various Minnesota lakes.
• Team banters over whether these updates are beloved or loathed, with tongue-in-cheek jabs about "nattering nabobs" and listener preferences.

"You all thought I forgot ice out." — Joe Soucheray (03:45)

2. House File 3865 – The Classic Car Bill

(05:30–19:31)

Background and Concerns

• Joe, a classic car club member, describes a flood of emails from worried car enthusiasts.
• The bill (HF3865), authored by Rep. Margaret Luger Nikolai, DFL-St. Paul, would:
  • Allow weekend-only daytime operation of collector vehicles (Saturdays & Sundays).
  • Clarify usage for car shows, exhibitions, parades, and similar events.
  • Require proof of a daily-use vehicle when registering for collector plates (for new applications).
  • Centralize/standardize collector vehicle operation rules.

Analysis & Debate

• The team suspects a financial motive: by restricting weekday use of collector plates, the state pushes more owners into regular annual-license fees.
• Owners already must show proof of insurance and, now, a modern daily driver for new collector plate applications.

"It seems to me that this is an attempt to force people using a collector car as their daily driver—and they'd have to get a regular license and pay regular license fees."
— Joe Soucheray (07:35)

• Kenny Olson notes the required proof-of-daily-driver change is already in effect as of Jan 15, 2026—but only for new plate applications.

Community Alarm & Overblown Fears?

• Emails warn that weekday and evening classic car events ("roll-ins", informal meetups) would be forbidden.
• The team thinks fears are overblown, since law enforcement rarely enforces such rules, and classic cars aren't a significant problem.

"Given the economy... there's a hell of a lot of people driving 2006 cars. That's 20 years old. You can get collector plates at 20 years old. Maybe what this is intended to do is prevent that."
— Joe Soucheray (11:36)

• Soucheray's bottom line: He is concerned about the principle of government intrusion, not just the specific enforcement.

"The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen... This is too much of your nose in my tent."
— Joe Soucheray (12:30, 14:07)

Classic Car Life Under Threat?

• Banter over classic cars becoming "dork classics" with more 2000s cars eligible as they age.
• Group jokes about staging a "parade of classics"—including '05 Jaguars and "goon bikes"—in protest if the bill passes (18:46).
• Some memorable ribbing about how law enforcement would handle this ("What is [Barney Fife] supposed to do? Stop a guy driving a Model A on a Tuesday night?") (11:14).
• General feeling: The bill is misguided, minor, and probably unenforceable, but it’s a classic "slippery slope" problem.

3. Sign of Spring: The Smell of Worms

(20:10–24:05)

• Listener Mary Kirk writes in about spring’s earthy scent.
• Joe claims it’s due to worms turning over soil, backs up the folk wisdom with a scientific note on "geosmin".
• Playful skepticism and banter from the team and confirmation from Matthew via Google.

"It's worms. You're smelling the movement of worms."
— Joe Soucheray (21:07)

4. Minneapolis City Council & State Legislative Update

(29:42–39:55)

• Brief detour into the local politics:
  • Minneapolis Councilmember Elizabeth Schaeffer pushes for focus on city business, not global issues—gets kudos from the crew.
  • State Dems block bill criminalizing the disruption of religious services (House File 4095)—heated discussion of priorities at the Capitol, tying in wider cultural frustrations.

5. State Issues & Listener Email: Paid Family/Medical Leave

(77:01–84:24)

• Joe reads a long email from a listener explaining the unintended negative effects of Minnesota's Paid Family and Medical Leave Act.
  • His employer dropped its prior (better) benefit and now defers to the state, which caps benefits and taxes the employee, making it financially useless for many.
  • The listener feels punished for having a traditional family and private benefits.
• Secondary story: A Lakeville couple receives dozens of official state mailings for businesses that don't exist at their address, exposing fraud, waste, or bureaucratic failure.

6. Minnesota’s State Flag – Local Pushback

(84:26–86:33)

• Zumbrota city council votes to restore the old Minnesota flag in chambers, with discussion about growing local resistance to the new flag’s adoption.
• Joe and crew cheer this local gumption and hint this will spread across other cities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the true threat of the bill:
  "Stay out of my life, Nikolai Luger, whatever the hell your name is."
  — Joe Soucheray (14:07)

• On government overreach:
  "The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen."
  — Joe Soucheray (12:30)

• Comic relief in protest planning:
  "I'm already putting together a protest. Parade of classics."
  — Kenny Olson (18:46)

• Cultural dig:
  "There aren't enough [collector cars] for you to worry about. They're not causing any problems. So why don't you figure out how to stop fraud?"
  — Joe Soucheray (17:32)

• On Spring:
  "It's worms. You're smelling the movement of worms."
  — Joe Soucheray (21:07)

Important Timestamps

• 03:04 – 05:23: Ice-out update, introduction of main hosts.
• 05:30 – 19:31: Deep dive into House File 3865, classic/collector car bill discussion, community reaction.
• 20:10 – 24:05: Listener email about the smell of spring, worm/geosmin discussion.
• 29:42 – 39:55: Minneapolis city council, House File 4095, disruption of religious services.
• 77:01 – 84:24: Paid family/medical leave act listener letter, state incompetence on fraud.
• 84:26 – 86:33: Zumbrota city council restores old Minnesota flag, commentary on local resistance.

Tone & Style

The episode is quintessential Garage Logic—irreverent, folksy, with a mix of deep Midwestern nostalgia and skeptical common sense. Joe takes government overreach personally; the team peppers in jokes, gentle mockery, and classic “garage” wisdom throughout. Banter is swift, unscripted, and occasionally wanders, but the through-line of concern for liberty, car culture, and local traditions stays strong.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The classic car community's anxieties about House File 3865 might be a mix of fact and overreaction, but the hosts see a trend of incremental government encroachment.
• Law enforcement is likely to deprioritize ticketing classic car drivers, especially amidst larger public safety issues.
• Listeners are reminded to be vigilant about bureaucratic changes that affect private life and personal freedoms, and are encouraged to “push back” in their communities—on everything from car plates to state flags.
• Classic Garage Logic: Sometimes, the real issue isn’t the letter of the bill but the spirit of independence it threatens.

End of Summary