[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1183 Introduced in House (IH)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1183
To amend the Fastener Quality Act to strengthen the protection against
the sale of mismarked, misrepresented, and counterfeit fasteners and
eliminate unnecessary requirements, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 18, 1999
Mr. Sensenbrenner (for himself, Mr. Brown of California, Mrs. Morella,
Mr. Green of Wisconsin, Mr. Cook, Mrs. Biggert, and Mr. Kuykendall)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Fastener Quality Act to strengthen the protection against
the sale of mismarked, misrepresented, and counterfeit fasteners and
eliminate unnecessary requirements, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fastener Quality Act Amendments Act
of 1999''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
Section 2 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5401) is amended
to read as follows:
``SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
``The Congress finds that--
``(1) the United States fastener industry is a significant
contributor to the global economy, employing thousands of
workers in hundreds of communities;
``(2) the American economy uses billions of fasteners each
year;
``(3) state-of-the-art manufacturing and improved quality
assurance systems have dramatically improved fastener quality,
so virtually all fasteners sold in commerce meet or exceed the
consensus standards for the uses to which they are applied;
``(4) a small number of mismarked, misrepresented, and
counterfeit fasteners do enter commerce in the United States;
and
``(5) multiple criteria for the identification of fasteners
exist, including grade identification markings and
manufacturer's insignia, to enable purchasers and users of
fasteners to accurately evaluate the characteristics of
individual fasteners.''.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
Section 3 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5402) is amended
to read as follows:
``SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
``As used in this Act, the term--
``(1) `consensus standard' means the provisions of a
document that describes fastener characteristics published by a
consensus standards organization or a Federal agency, and does
not include a proprietary standard;
``(2) `consensus standards organization' means the American
Society for Testing and Materials, the American National
Standards Institute, the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the
International Organization for Standardization, any other
organization identified as a United States consensus standards
organization or a foreign and international consensus standards
organization in the Federal Register at 61 Fed. Reg. 50582-83
(September 26, 1996), and any successor organizations thereto;
``(3) `Director' means the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology;
``(4) `distributor' means a person who purchases fasteners
for the purpose of reselling them at wholesale to unaffiliated
entities or individuals (an original equipment manufacturer and
its dealers shall be considered affiliated entities for
purposes of this Act);
``(5) `fastener' means a metallic screw, nut, bolt, or stud
having internal or external threads, with a nominal diameter of
6 millimeters or greater, in the case of such items described
in metric terms, or \1/4\ inch or greater, in the case of such
items described in terms of the English system of measurement,
or a load-indicating washer, that is through-hardened or
represented as meeting a consensus standard that calls for
through-hardening, and that is grade identification marked or
represented as meeting a consensus standard that requires grade
identification marking, except that such term does not include
any screw, nut, bolt, stud, or load-indicating washer that is--
``(A) part of an assembly;
``(B) in a package containing no more than 100 of
any one screw, nut, bolt, stud, or load-indicating
washer at the time of sale;
``(C) produced and marked as ASTM A 307 Grade A, or
a successor standard thereto;
``(D) produced in accordance with ASTM F 432, or a
successor standard thereto;
``(E) specifically manufactured for use on an
aircraft if the quality and suitability of those
fasteners for that use has been approved--
``(i) by the Federal Aviation
Administration; or
``(ii) by a foreign airworthiness authority
as described in part 21.29, 21.500, 21.502, or
21.617 of title 14 of the Code of Federal
Regulations;
``(F) manufactured in accordance with a fastener
quality assurance system; or
``(G) manufactured to a proprietary standard,
whether or not such proprietary standard directly or
indirectly references a consensus standard or any
portion thereof;
``(6) `fastener quality assurance system' means--
``(A) a system that meets the requirements,
including revisions from time to time, of--
``(i) International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) Standard 9000, 9001,
9002, or TS16949;
``(ii) Quality System (QS) 9000 Standard;
``(iii) Verband der Automobilindustrie e.
V. (VDA) 6.1 Standard; or
``(iv) Aerospace Basic Quality System
Standard AS9000; or
``(B) any fastener manufacturing system--
``(i) that has as a stated goal the
prevention of defects through continuous
improvement;
``(ii) that seeks to attain the goal stated
in clause (i) by incorporating--
``(I) advance quality planning;
``(II) monitoring and control of
the manufacturing process;
``(III) product verification
embodied in a comprehensive written
control plan for product and process
characteristics, and process controls
(including process influence factors
and statistical process control),
tests, and measurement systems to be
used in production; and
``(IV) the creation, maintenance,
and retention of electronic,
photographic, or paper records required
by the control plan regarding the
inspections, tests, and measurements
performed pursuant to the control plan;
and
``(iii) that--
``(I) is subject to certification
in accordance with the requirements of
ISO/IEC Guide 62, including revisions
from time to time, by a third party who
is accredited by an accreditation body
in accordance with the requirements of
ISO/IEC Guide 61, including revisions
from time to time, or another document
approved by the Director under section
10; or
``(II) undergoes regular or random
evaluation and assessment by the end
user or end users of the screws, nuts,
bolts, studs, or load-indicating
washers produced under such fastener
manufacturing system to ensure that
such system meets the requirements of
clauses (i) and (ii);
``(7) `grade identification marking' means any grade-mark
or property class symbol appearing on a fastener purporting to
indicate that the lot of fasteners conforms to a specific
consensus standard, but such term does not include a
manufacturer's insignia or part number;
``(8) `lot' means a quantity of fasteners of one part
number fabricated by the same production process from the same
coil or heat number of metal as provided by the metal
manufacturer;
``(9) `manufacturer' means a person who fabricates
fasteners for sale in commerce;
``(10) `proprietary standard' means the provisions of a
document that describes characteristics of a screw, nut, bolt,
stud, or load-indicating washer and is issued by a person who--
``(A) uses screws, nuts, bolts, studs, or load-
indicating washers in the manufacture, assembly, or
servicing of its products; and
``(B) with respect to such screws, nuts, bolts,
studs, or washers, is a developer and issuer of
descriptions that have characteristics similar to
consensus standards and that bear such user's
identification;
``(11) `record of conformance' means a record or records
designated for each lot of fasteners sold or offered for sale
that contains--
``(A) the name and address of the manufacturer;
``(B) a description of the type of fastener;
``(C) the lot number;
``(D) the nominal dimensions of the fastener
(including diameter and length of bolts or screws),
thread form, and class of fit;
``(E) the consensus standard or specifications to
which the lot of fasteners has been manufactured,
including the date, number, revision, and other
information sufficient to identify the particular
consensus standard or specifications being referenced;
``(F) the chemistry and grade of material; and
``(G) the coating material and characteristics and
the applicable consensus standard or specifications for
such coating;
``(12) `represent' means to describe one or more of a
fastener's purported characteristics in a document or statement
that is transmitted to a purchaser through any medium;
``(13) `Secretary' means the Secretary of Commerce;
``(14) `specifications' means the required characteristics
identified in the contractual agreement with the manufacturer
or to which a fastener is otherwise produced, except that the
term does not include proprietary standards; and
``(15) `through-harden' means heating above the
transformation temperature followed by quenching and tempering
for the purpose of achieving uniform hardness.''.
SEC. 4. SALE OF FASTENERS.
Sections 5 through 7 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5404-7)
are repealed, and the following new section is inserted after section 3
of such Act:
``SEC. 4. SALE OF FASTENERS.
``(a) General Rule.--It shall be unlawful for a manufacturer or
distributor, in conjunction with a sale or offer for sale of a
fastener, to knowingly misrepresent or falsify--
``(1) the record of conformance for the lot of fasteners;
``(2) the identification, characteristics, properties,
mechanical or performance marks, chemistry, or strength of the
lot of fasteners; or
``(3) the manufacturer's insignia.
``(b) Representations.--A direct or indirect reference to a
consensus standard to represent that a fastener conforms to particular
requirements of the consensus standard shall not be construed as a
representation that the fastener meets all the requirements of the
consensus standard.
``(c) Specifications.--A direct or indirect contractual reference
to a consensus standard for the purpose of identifying particular
requirements of the consensus standard that serve as specifications
shall not be construed to require that the fastener meet all the
requirements of the consensus standard.
``(d) Voluntary Accreditation of Laboratories.--The Secretary,
acting through the Director, shall maintain a program for the voluntary
accreditation of laboratories, and shall make information about such
laboratories available to the public. If the parties to the sale of a
fastener agree, a laboratory accredited under such voluntary program
shall be used to perform tests that may be required by consensus
standards or specifications.''.
SEC. 5. MANUFACTURERS' INSIGNIAS.
Section 8 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5407) is
redesignated as section 5 and is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``which is required''
and all that follows through ``by the Secretary'' and inserting
``that is required by the specifications or applicable
consensus standard or standards in the record of conformance to
bear an insignia identifying its manufacturer shall be offered
for sale or sold in commerce unless the manufacturer of such
fastener has complied with the insignia recordation
requirements prescribed by the Secretary, acting through the
Director,''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``and private label''
and all that follows and inserting ``described in subsection
(a).''.
SEC. 6. REMEDIES AND PENALTIES.
Section 9 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5408) is
redesignated as section 6 and is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``of this section''
and inserting ``of this subsection'';
(2) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting ``arbitrate,'' after
``Secretary may'';
(3) by striking paragraph (3) of subsection (c); and
(4) in subsection (d)--
(A) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``Enforcement.--'';
and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(2) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish
and maintain a hotline system to facilitate the reporting of alleged
violations of this Act, and the Secretary shall investigate credible
allegations reported through that system.''.
SEC. 7. RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS.
Section 10 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5409) is
redesignated as section 7 and is amended by striking subsections (a)
and (b) and inserting the following:
``Manufacturers shall retain the record of conformance for
fasteners for 5 years, on paper or in photographic or electronic format
in a manner that allows for verification of authenticity.''.
SEC. 8. RELATIONSHIP TO STATE LAWS.
Section 11 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5410) is
redesignated as section 8.
SEC. 9. CONSTRUCTION.
Section 12 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5411) is
redesignated as section 9 and is amended by striking ``in effect on the
date of enactment of this Act''.
SEC. 10. CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION.
Sections 13 and 15 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5412 and
14) are repealed, and the following new section is inserted at the end
of that Act:
``SEC. 10. CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION.
``(a) Certification.--A person publishing a document setting forth
guidance or requirements for the certification of manufacturing
systems, including fastener manufacturing systems, by an accredited
third party may petition the Director to approve such document for use
as described in section 3(6)(B)(iii)(I). The Director shall act upon a
petition within 180 days after its filing, and shall approve such
petition if the document provides equal or greater rigor and
reliability as compared to ISO/IEC Guide 62.
``(b) Accreditation.--A person publishing a document setting forth
guidance or requirements for the approval of accreditation bodies to
accredit third parties described in subsection (a) may petition the
Director to approve such document for use as described in section
3(6)(B)(iii)(I). The Director shall act upon a petition within 180 days
after its filing, and shall approve such petition if the document
provides equal or greater rigor and reliability as compared to ISO/IEC
Guide 61.''.
SEC. 11. APPLICABILITY.
At the end of the Fastener Quality Act, insert the following new
section:
``SEC. 11. APPLICABILITY.
``The requirements of this Act shall be applicable only to
fasteners fabricated 180 days or more after the date of the enactment
of the Fastener Quality Act Amendments of 1999, except that if a
manufacturer or distributor of fasteners fabricated before that date
designates a record of conformance for such fasteners, representations
about such fasteners shall be subject to the requirements of this
Act.''.
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