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Lawmakers urge CPSC to delay enforcement of lead law

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) and 12 other members of Congress are attempting to delay enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which led to a ban on youth-designed ATVs and motorcycles that don’t meet the law’s lead requirements.

Rehberg wrote a letter, had it signed by the other lawmakers and sent it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Jan. 4, according to a press release from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The letter asks the CPSC to delay the enforcement of the lead law past the current May 1 deadline, so Congress can look at the issue. The law bans lead in products designed for children ages 12 and younger and includes youth dirt bikes and ATV because the vehicles may contain lead in parts such as batteries and brake calipers.

“It’s clear the Consumer Product Safety Commission overstepped the intent of the law,” Rehberg said in the release. “The original legislation Congress passed was meant to keep kids safe from lead content in toys. Ironically, the overreaching enforcement puts kids at risk by forcing them to use larger, more dangerous machines that are intended only for adults. An extension of the current stay will provide the necessary time for Congress to fix this problem once and for all.”

The letter can be read at http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/assets/pdf/CPSC_Letter_Final_January_2011.pdf. Along with Rehberg, it was signed by Reps. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Adrian Smith (Neb.), John Kline (R-Minn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations, praised the decision.

“It’s encouraging to see these members of the House are stepping up and asking the CPSC to delay enforcement of the law,” he said. “This sends a clear signal that the issue is on the radar of federal lawmakers and they plan to work to solve the problem so that kids have access to right-sized machines.”

Moreland encouraged AMA members to contact their federal lawmakers about the law.

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