Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 90 Part 1.djvu/562

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PUBLIC LAW 94-000—MMMM. DD, 1976

PUBLIC LAW 94-284—MAY 11, 1976

90 STAT. 512 'Commission."

"(5) As used in this subsection, the term 'Commission' means the Consumer Product Safety Commission.". (b) Section 16 of the Flammable Fabrics Act (15 U.S.C. 1203) is amended to read as follows: ((PREEMPTION "SEC. 16. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), whenever a flammability standard or other regulation for a fabric, related material, or product is in effect under this Act, no State or olitical subdivision of a State may establish or continue in effect a ammability standard or other regulation for such fabric, related material, or product if the standard or other regulation is designed to protect against the same risk of occurrence of fire with respect to which the standard or other regulation under this Act is in effect unless the State or political subdivision standard or other regulation is identical to the Federal standard or other regulation. "(b) The Federal Government and the government of any State or political subdivision of a State may establish and continue in effect a flammability standard or other regulation applicable to a fabric, related material, or product for its own use which standard or other I'egulation is designed to protect against a risk of occurrence of fire with respect to which a flammability standard or other regulation is in effect under this Act and which is not identical to such standard or other regulation if the Federal, State, or political subdivision standard or other regulation provides a higher degree of protection from such risk of occurrence of fire than the standard or other regulation in effect under this Act. "(c)(1) Upon application of a State or political subdivision of a State, the Commission may, by regulation promulgated in accordance with paragraph (2), exempt from subsection (a), under such conditions as may be prescribed in such regulation, any flammability standard or other regulation of such State or political subdivision applicable to a fabric, related material, or product subject to a standard or other regulation in effect under this Act, if— "(A) compliance with the State or political subdivision requirement would not cause the fabric, related material, or product to be in violation of the standard or other regulation in effect under this Act, and "(B) the State or political subdivision standard or other regulation (i) provides a significantly higher degree of protection from the risk of occurrence of fire with respect to which the Federal standard or other regulation is in effect, and (ii) does not unduly burden interstate commerce. In determining the burden, if any, of a State or political subdivision flammability standard or other regulation on interstate commerce the Commission shall consider and make appropriate (as determined by the Commission in its discretion) findings on the technological and economic feasibility of complying with such flammability standard or other regulation, the cost of complying with such flammability standard or other regulation, the geographic distribution of the fabric, related material, or product to which the flammability standard or other regulation would apply, the probability of other States or political subdivisions applying for an exemption under this subsection for a similar flammability standard or other regulation, and the need for a national, uniform iflammability standard or other regulation under this Act for such fabric, related material, or product.

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