ISPA, Mattress Industry Applaud Passage of Product Safety Reforms

(Alexandria, VA) – Congress approved a bill this week to amend burdensome portions of
the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The legislation passed by large
margins in both the House and the Senate. Working with other consumer product trade
associations, the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) and its members
strongly supported efforts to amend the CPSIA. This action marks the first changes to
the CPSIA since it was passed in 2008 and is a victory for the mattress industry.

The bill makes a number of helpful changes to the CPSIA that should benefit mattress
manufacturers. Most prominently, the bill requires the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) to assess the costs associated with its third-party testing
requirements for products including children’s mattresses and adds new protections to
promote accuracy in the consumer database created by the CPSIA. The bill also makes
important changes to the CPSIA’s lead and phthalates restrictions.

Since the CPSIA’s enactment three years ago, ISPA lobbied both Congress and the CPSC
to implement the law’s sweeping provisions in a manner that would not impose needless
burdens on U.S. manufacturers.

“ISPA applauds Congress for finally altering several provisions of the CPSIA that
imposed costly and redundant requirements on manufacturers, but did not improve
consumer safety. This victory for our industry will add more common sense to the
consumer product rules that the mattress industry must meet without compromising
product safety,” noted ISPA President Ryan Trainer. “The grassroots support of ISPA
members that contacted their elected officials was key to this bill becoming a reality, and
demonstrates what can be accomplished when an industry works together for the
common good.”

President Obama is expected to sign the measure shortly.