[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 80 (Thursday, June 18, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1158-E1159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FASTENER QUALITY ACT AMENDMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. J. DENNIS HASTERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 16, 1998

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3824, the 
Fastener Quality Act Amendments. I would like to commend the work of 
the Science Committee, Chairman Sensenbrenner and Mr. Brown; as well as 
the efforts of Chairwoman Morella and Mr. Barcia of the Technology 
Subcommittee.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3824 is important and urgently needed legislation. 
As my colleagues know, the Fastener Quality Act was enacted eight years 
ago when there was considerable concern about defective and counterfeit 
fasteners, mostly manufactured in foreign countries, which were found 
in military equipment, bridges, and airplanes.
  However, much has changed over the past eight years, especially in 
terms of the technology now employed by the fastener industry to 
guarantee quality. This bill accomplishes two important goals. First, 
it eliminates the unnecessary and duplicative regulatory burden on 
fasteners produced to the standards and specifications of aviation 
manufacturers which are already regulated by the FAA. And, secondly, 
this Act delays implementation of the Final Rule for the Fastener 
Quality Act issued on April 14, 1998 and due to be implemented on July 
26, 1998.
  During this delay, the Secretary of Commerce will undertake and 
review the Fastener Quality Act in light of the new advances in 
technology made by the fastener industry and determine what changes are 
needed, if any, to assure consumer safety on the one hand and prevent 
unnecessary and outdated regulation on the other.
  Mr. Speaker, the simple fact is that in many ways the industry has 
moved beyond the Fastener Quality Act passed eight years ago. Since 
1990, enormous strides have been made by both the manufacturers of 
fasteners and their customers in the way they insure the quality and 
safety of their products. For example, although the Fastener Quality 
Act originally envisioned an end-of-the-line lot testing procedures, 
the fastener industry's quality assurance systems have evolved 
substantially beyond this to testing throughout the manufacturing 
process. Even NIST concedes that this method is far superior to lot 
testing.
  Although NIST attempted to accommodate these new procedures in their 
Final Rule, I am concerned that they were not able to go far enough. 
The Final Rule does not fully accommodate the new advances in quality 
demanded by major users of fasteners such as the auto industry. Because 
of this, if the Final

[[Page E1159]]

Rule is allowed to go into force on July 26, 1998, serious disruptions 
to our economy could result.
  I am particularly pleased that during the delay in implementation of 
the Final Rule, this bill requires the Secretary of Commerce to issue a 
report to Congress on possible changes needed in this Act to account 
for the advances in quality techniques now common in the fastener 
industry. It is important that Congress gain a clear understanding of 
the impact this regulation will have upon our economy, the 
technological improvements that the fastener industry has made over the 
past eight years, and the improvements in quality that are likely to 
occur in the future as the result of further technological advances. It 
is probable that, as a result of this report, Congress will have to 
revisit the Fastener Quality Act to insure that the highest quality 
standards, either in place now or that will arise in the future, are 
not legislated out of existence.
  Mr. Speaker, this is clearly a case of where the best intentions went 
astray. Although the concerns that prompted the adoption of the 
Fastener Quality Act were real, the solution proposed by this 
legislation actually threatens the very quality it seeks to insure. The 
clear problem with the Fastener Quality Act is that it attempts to 
legislate advances in technology. It is very difficult for anyone to 
see into the future and determine what tools will be available to 
industry in terms of their manufacturing processes and quality control. 
It is my hope that the Secretary of Commerce in his report to Congress 
will suggest ways in which changes to the law can be made to guarantee 
the quality and safety of critical fasteners, but in a manner that 
allows for, and promotes, both the technology of today and of the 
future.
  Mr. Speaker, I again wish to thank the distinguished Chairman of the 
Science Committee and urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.

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