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.
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!