On Monday, August 1, 2011,
H.R. 2715 was introduced by U.S. Reps.
Mary Bono
Mack (R-CA), chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade and
G.K. Butterfield
(D-NC), ranking member of the same subcommittee. The bill, which passed
the House of Representatives by a vote of 421 to 2, exempts kids'
off-highway vehicles (OHVs) from the lead law that was scheduled to
effectively ban the sale of those machines at the end of the year.
To view how your Representative voted on H.R. 2715, click here. To thank your Representative, click here.
On
the same day that it was introduced and considered by the U.S. House,
the U.S. Senate considered H.R. 2715. Without any objection, the bill
passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and now heads
to the President for his signature.
To thank your Senators, click
here.
H.R.2715 provides for the categorical exemption of youth OHVs as defined in H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, which was introduced January 25 by Rep. Denny Rehberg
(R-MT). The riding community's overwhelming support of H.R. 412
significantly contributed to the fast-tracking of this new bill.
H.R.
2715 exempts youth OHVs from the lead-content provisions of the
Consumer product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, otherwise known
as the "lead law." Those provisions contain overly restrictive
lead-content limits that have all but destroyed the sale of youth OHVs
and
severely hampered youth motorized recreation.
The AMA and
All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) applaud Reps. Bono Mack and
Butterfield for introducing this bill. The Associations also
thank Rep. Denny Rehberg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for their tireless efforts to save youth OHV riding.
Passage
of the CPSIA banned the making, importing, distributing or selling of
any product intended for children 12 and under that contains more than a
specified amount of lead in any accessible part. It also required that
all children's products undergo periodic testing by independent
laboratories approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),
which is responsible for implementing the law.
The CPSC delayed
enforcing key portions of the law until after the end of 2011. Unless
the CPSIA was changed, the sale of youth-model motorcycles and
all-terrain vehicles that do not
conform to the CPSIA would be officially banned beginning in 2012.
With
both houses of Congress firmly behind H.R. 2715, now is the time to
show everyone in Washington just how serious we
are about protecting our freedoms and charge past the checkered flag.
The AMA and ATVA urge you to contact President Obama to spur him to sign
H.R. 2715 into law without delay. A prewritten e-mail is also available
for you to send to President Obama immediately by following the "Take
Action" option and entering your information.
For more information on the CPSIA and everything the AMA has done on behalf of youth motorized recreation, please click here.
Thank you for getting involved in the fight to save youth OHV riding!
