IRVINE, Calif. — The Motorcycle
Industry Council (MIC), along with the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
(SVIA), are supporting two new bills
that would overturn the lead ban created by the Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, which brought the sales of
off-highway motorcycles and ATVs designed for kids 12 and under to an abrupt
halt on Feb. 10, 2009.
Although the MIC continues to
believe that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the power under
the law and based on the scientific evidence submitted to grant the Industry’s
pending exclusion petitions, the CPSC appears poised to deny these petitions.
As a result, the MIC has
intensified efforts to get Congressional support for a regulatory or
legislative ‘fix,’ and is now strongly advocating two new bills that have been
introduced, S. 608 and H.R. 1587.
On March 17, 2009, United States
Senator John Tester introduced S.608 to amend the CPSIA to exclude secondary
sales, repair services and certain vehicles - including youth ATVs and
motorcycles - from the ban on lead in children’s products, and for other
purposes.
On March 18, 2009, in the U.S.
House of Representatives, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Pomeroy and Mr. Simpson
introduced H.R. 1587 to amend the lead prohibition provisions of the CPSIA to
provide an exemption for certain off-highway vehicles and for other purposes.
The MIC will continue to work with
the sponsors to provide necessary relief to the powersports industry. S. 608,
as currently drafted, will stop the ban on vehicles intended for children ages
7-12. MIC and SVIA advocate for the exemption of vehicles intended for children
ages 6-12 to ensure all current models again will be available, since many have
been designed for children ages 6 and up.
“It’s time to start letting kids
ride safely again on vehicles designed for their use, and finally put an end to
this untimely economic debacle,” said Paul Vitrano, General Counsel, MIC and SVIA.
“We’re very pleased to see that Congressional action is being taken to end the
ban, and we’re working with the bill sponsors to ensure these bills would
provide immediate and critical relief to the powersports industry.”
The MIC urges its members, dealers,
and enthusiasts to act now and show their support for S. 608 and H.R. 1587 by
contacting their members of Congress and appropriate committee members via www.StopTheBanNow.com.
