HR 272
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 272
To amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act to exempt ordinary
books and paper-based printed material from the lead limit in such Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 12, 2011
Mr. FORTENBERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act to exempt ordinary
books and paper-based printed material from the lead limit in such Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) sought to
protect children from the dangers associated with products containing unreasonable
levels of lead by imposing lead standards and testing requirements.
(2) The Consumer Product Safety Commission has interpreted the Act to apply
to all children's books and other printed materials.
(3) The Act was not intended to apply to ordinary books and paper-based
materials--those books and materials that are published on paper or cardboard
and printed by conventional publishing methods.
(4) Comprehensive testing of finished books and their component materials
that are used for printed material has found total lead content at levels
considered nondetectable, or 10 ppm, well below the thresholds in CPSIA.
(5) The book and printed material manufacturing process is now standardized
across the United States and much of the world.
(6) The publishers and printers in the United States as well as much of
the world do not use lead-based chemicals or other materials in the manufacturing
of ordinary books and paper-based printed material, meeting standards promulgated
by the Coalition of Northeastern Governors.
(7) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined there
is minimal risk to children from trace amounts of lead in ordinary books
and printed products produced by the same processes using the same component
materials.
(8) Reading books and using other printed material are critical to child
development, and education and schools and libraries operating under limited
budgets provide millions of children with free access to ordinary books,
and yet despite the lack of evidence that their books contain harmful levels
of lead, libraries and other organizations may have to restrict access to
children's books due to the burdens and uncertainties associated with CPSIA's
new lead levels and testing requirements.
SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FOR ORDINARY BOOKS AND PRINTED MATERIALS.
Section 101 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (15 U.S.C. 1278a)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(h) Exclusion for Ordinary Books and Paper-Based Printed Materials-
`(1) IN GENERAL- The limits established under subsection (a) shall not apply
to ordinary books or ordinary paper-based printed materials.
`(2) DEFINITIONS- As used in this subsection--
`(A) the term `ordinary books' means books printed on paper or cardboard,
printed with inks or toners, and bound and finished using a conventional
method that are intended to be read or have educational value; and
`(B) the term `ordinary paper-based printed materials' means materials
printed on paper or cardboard, such as magazines, posters, greeting cards,
and similar products, that are printed with inks or toners and bound and
finished using a conventional method.
Such terms do not include books or printed materials that are printed on
material other than paper or cardboard or contain nonpaper-based components
such as metal or plastic parts or accessories that are not part of the binding
and finishing materials used in a conventional method.'.
END
