To amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to provide that low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices are consumer products subject to that Act.

Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to place low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices under its jurisdiction (thereby subjecting those products to such rules and regulations as the Consumer Product Safety Commission may promulgate or amend as necessary or appropriate).

States that Federal law supersedes State law with respect to such devices to the extent that State law is more stringent.

Provides that for purposes of motor vehicle safety standards low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices shall not be considered motor vehicles.

[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1426 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1426

  To amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to provide that low-speed 
  electric personal assistive mobility devices are consumer products 
                          subject to that Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 4, 2001

   Mr. Bass introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to provide that low-speed 
  electric personal assistive mobility devices are consumer products 
                          subject to that Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT.

    (a) In General.--The Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2051 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

        ``low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices

    ``Sec. 39. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, low-
speed electric personal assistive mobility devices are consumer 
products within the meaning of section 3(a)(1) and shall be subject to 
the Commission regulations published at section 1500.18(a)(12) and part 
1512 of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations.
    ``(b) For the purpose of this section, the term `low-speed electric 
personal assistive mobility device' means a 2- or 3-wheeled device with 
an electric propulsion system of less than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose 
maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a 
propulsion system while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is 
less than 20 mph.
    ``(c) To further protect the safety of consumers who ride low-speed 
electric personal assistive mobility devices, the Commission may 
promulgate new or amended requirements applicable to such vehicles as 
necessary and appropriate.
    ``(d) This section shall supersede any State law or requirement 
with respect to low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices 
to the extent that such State law or requirement is more stringent than 
the Federal law or requirements referred to in subsection (a).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents preceding section 2 
of such Act is amended by adding at the end the following:

``Sec. 39. Low-speed electric personal assistive mobility devices.''.

SEC. 2. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS.

    For purposes of motor vehicle safety standards prescribed and 
enforced pursuant to chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, a 
low-speed electric personal assistive mobility device (as defined in 
section 39(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, as amended by this 
Act) shall not be considered a motor vehicle as defined by section 
30102(6) of title 49, United States Code.
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