Motorcycle Industry Council Urges Vigorous Support for Two New Bills that would Overturn the Ban on Youth ATVs and Off-Highway Motorcycles

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), along with the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), have announced their support for two new bills – S. 608 and H.R. 1587 – that would overturn the ban that resulted from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, aka the Lead Ban, which brought the sales of off-highway motorcycles and ATVs designed for kids 12 and under to an abrupt halt on February 10, 2009.

“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”

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 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 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 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 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 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, Motorcycle Industry Council and Specialty Vehicle Institute of America. “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.

MIC statements, press releases, video testimonials, news articles, and additional information relative to the CPSIA are also available at www.StopTheBanNow.com.

The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues.

It is a not-for-profit, national trade association representing manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts and accessories, and members of allied trades such as publishing companies, advertising agencies, insurance firms and consultants.

The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office adjacent to Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914.

Since 1983, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America^® has promoted the safe and responsible use of All-Terrain Vehicles through rider training programs, public awareness campaigns, and state legislation. The SVIA also serves as a resource for ATV research, statistics, and vehicle standards. The SVIA, based in Irvine, Calif., is a not-for-profit trade association sponsored by Arctic Cat, BRP, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, KYMCO, Polaris, Suzuki, Tomberlin, Tomoto and Yamaha. For membership information, call [phone]. For safety information or to enroll in the ATV RiderCourse^SM nearest you, visit www.atvsafety.org and click on “Online Enrollment” or call [phone].