House subcommittee votes on lead law

PowersportsBusinessMay 13, 2011

A House of Representatives subcommittee voted on Thursday to pass a draft bill that would give the Consumer Product Safety Commission more authority to regulate the lead law based on risk.

After a mark-up and discussion day, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade approved the “Enhancing CPSC Authority and Discretion Act of 2011” bill and referred it to the full Energy and Commerce Committee, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. The bill is a revision of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, also known as the lead law, which bans lead in products intended for children ages 12 and younger, including youth ATVs and dirt bikes.

“While we continue to believe that the best way to ensure the continued availability of youth off-highway vehicles is to categorically exclude them from the lead content provisions, this proposed legislation, if enacted as drafted, would provide welcome relief and improve safety,” wrote MIC general counsel Paul Vitrano in a Thursday letter to subcommittee chair Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.).

The American Motorcyclist Association on Wednesday issued a call to action to its members and all off-highway enthusiasts. The association said it disapproved of the short notice the industry was given about the consideration of the bill.

“The revised draft legislation was announced within 36 hours of the
actual markup,” Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president of government relations, said in a press release. “While this is consistent with the committee rules for announcing meetings, the short notice give us great concern because the public had very little time to vet the draft bill property prior to its consideration (Thursday).”

The AMA urged members and riders to ask their lawmakers to bring the Kids Just Want to Ride Act of 2011 as an amendment to the ECADA. That act would exempt off-highway vehicles from the CPSIA.