[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FASTENER QUALITY ACT AMENDMENTS

  Mr. GORTON. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to 
the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 498, H.R. 3824.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3824) amending the Fastener Quality Act to 
     exempt from its coverage certain fasteners approved by the 
     Federal Aviation Administration for use in aircraft.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
bill, which had been reported from the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation, with amendments; as follows:

  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italic.)

                               H.R. 3824

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. AMENDMENT.

       Section 15 of the Fastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5414) is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(a) Transitional Rule.--'' before ``The 
     requirements of this Act''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(b) Aircraft Exemption.--
       ``(1) In general.--The requirements of this Act shall not 
     apply to fasteners specifically manufactured or altered for 
     use on an aircraft if the quality and suitability of those 
     fasteners for that use has been approved by the Federal 
     Aviation Administration, except as provided in paragraph (2).
       ``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to 
     fasteners represented by the fastener manufacturer as having 
     been manufactured in conformance with standards or 
     specifications established by a consensus standards 
     organization or a Federal agency other than the Federal 
     Aviation Administration.''.

     SEC. 2. DELAYED IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONS.

       The regulations issued under the Fastener Quality Act by 
     the National Institute of Standards and Technology on April 
     14, 1998, and any other regulations issued by the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology pursuant to the 
     Fastener Quality Act, shall not take effect until after the 
     later of June 1, 1999, or the expiration of 120 days after 
     the Secretary of Commerce transmits to the Committee on 
     Science and the Committee on Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives, and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation of the Senate, a report on--
       (1) changes in fastener manufacturing processes that have 
     occurred since the enactment of the Fastener Quality Act; 
     [and]
       (2) a comparison of the Fastener Quality Act to other 
     regulatory programs that regulate the various categories of 
     fasteners, and an analysis of any duplication that exists 
     among programs; and
       [(2)] (3) any changes in that Act that may be warranted 
     because of the changes reported under [paragraph (1).] 
     paragraphs (1) and (2).

     The report required by this section shall be transmitted to 
     the Committee on Science and the Committee on Commerce of the 
     House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation of the Senate, by February 1, 
     1999.

  Mr. GORTON. I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendments be 
agreed to, the bill be considered read a third time and passed, the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements 
relating to the bill appear at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The bill (H.R. 3824), as amended, was considered read the third time 
and passed.

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