President Barack Obama has signed H.R. 2715, enacting a law that will make it legal to sell youth off-highway vehicles again.

The bill amends the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 which barred the sale of items with lead components, a ban which had unintentionally included off-highway vehicles. The amendment, which was approved by both the House and the Senate on Aug. 1, exempts off-highway vehicles and allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to grant exemptions to other products on a case-by-case basis.

“Federal legislators deserve a lot of thanks for their tireless efforts, especially U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and all the other lawmakers who supported an exemption,” says Rob Dingman, AMA president and chief executive officer. “Hundreds of thousands of parents, kids and motorcycling club members responded to AMA calls for action to contact their elected officials and their efforts, along with all those volunteers who circulated petitions and took other actions, brought this issue to the attention of Congress and turned the tide in our favor.”

The Motorcycle Industry Council, which represents manufacturers and distributors, echoed Dingman’s response.

“For more than two years, the powersports industry and its riders have urged Congress to categorically exclude youth dirtbikes and ATVs from the CPSIA’s lead content provisions,” says Larry Little, chairman of the Motorcycle Industry Council Board of Directors.  “We are gratified that our community’s passion and perseverance have paid off and the ban on youth model OHVs is finally over.”

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Finally, some legislative news out of Washington that doesn’t involve the phrase “debt ceiling”. The U.S. House and the Senate have passed a bill that would exempt youth off-highway vehicles from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, also known as the “lead ban”.

The House approved the bill, H.R. 2715, which amends the CPSIA to exempt off-highway vehicles and gives the Consumer Product Safety Commission the discretion to allow other exemptions.

The bill, introduced by Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), was approved by a 421-2 vote on Aug. 1, and later that day passed unanimously through the Senate. The bill now awaits the signature of President Barack Obama before it becomes law.

Enacted in 2008, the CPSIA was designed to prohibit the sale of products containing certain levels of substances such as lead. As a result, the CPSIA banned the sale of youth OHVs because of traces of lead. The CPSC, which enforces the CPSIA, put a stay on enforcement of the act when it comes to OHVs, as various groups lobbied for an amendment.

[Source: AMA, MIC]

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