House Committee Voting On Changes To Lead Law, Action Urged

Courtesy of AMA
On May 25, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee, chaired by Representative Fred Upton (R-MI),will be holding a markup Wednesday, at 4:00 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building on H.R. 1939, “Enhancing CPSC Authority and Discretion Act of 2011 (ECADA).” The Committee will only be conducting opening statements on May 25.
The Committee will reconvene on May 26, at 10 a.m. in the same room. It is during this time that votes will occur on amendments and the draft bill.
According to the committee, the legislation would revise the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 and seeks to give Consumer Product Safety Commission greater authority and flexibility to regulate based on risk.
The CPSIA, commonly called the “lead law,” was designed to ban small toys with high lead content. However, because of broadly written language in the law, it has been interpreted to apply to all products for kids, including dirtbikes, bicycles, clothing and books.
Since the markup is an opportunity to offer amendments, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) will be working with cosponsors of H.R. 412, the “Kids Just Want to Ride Act” to offer it as an amendment. The Kids Just Want to Ride Act would permanently exempt youth-model motorcycles and ATVs from the deleterious effects of the lead-content limits of the CPSIA.
Please note that this markup is scheduled during the same time period as the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb event. The Hill Climb is being held to send a clear message to federal lawmakers that action is needed now to exempt kid-sized dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from the CPSIA. For more information on this event, please click here.
Time is of the essence. Please call your Representative now. Your Member of Congress’ contact information can be reached by following the “Call Now” option.
For more information on this issue, click here.
Tell your Representative to offer H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act of 2011, as an amendment to ECADA.
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