Senator Mike DeWine, who introduced a tire aging bill as part of his transportation bill on Jan. 23, amended it by removing all tire-related language.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) called the action "a major legislative victory" for its members.
"TIA mobilized its members and the state associations and got the message up to Capitol Hill to stop a proposal that made no sense to our industry," says Larry Morgan, TIA president.
"This is a huge testament to our government affairs department and our members for getting the word out. The true underlying message is that our members can make a difference in Washington, D.C., by calling and faxing their members of Congress."
DeWine’s proposal had originally included a mandate on tire dealers to provide the date of manufacture of each tire sold to the customer at the point-of-sale. DeWine also originally requested a study from the National Academy of Science on tire aging.
"TIA knew that the mandate on dealers was premature without a study being completed," says Becky MacDicken, TIA's director of government affairs. "Without any available scientific data on tire aging, the mandate would have put a huge liability on our tire dealers and caused greater consumer confusion and potential inventory nightmares."
"Thanks to TIA and many friends in the industry, such as RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association), SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), the Small Business Legislative Council, the Ohio tire dealers association, the Florida Automotive Trades Association, the National Auto Dealers Association and many individual TIA members, a poorly conceived bill was defeated quickly."
DeWine, a republican senator from Ohio, will continue efforts to pass a bill to improve tire safety, according to MacDicken. "TIA will work closely with the senator and his staff on any future initiatives to make sure they are ideas that the industry can live with that will improve public safety."
