Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 4.djvu/627

 PUBLIC LAW 101-592—NOV. 16, 1990 104 STAT. 2943 Public Law 101-592 101st Congress An Act To reqmre that certfiin fasteners sold in commerce conform to the specifications to which they are represented to be manufactured, to provide for accreditation of laboratories engaged in fastener testing, to require inspection, testing, and certification, in accordance with stemdardized methods, of fasteners used in critical applications to increase fastener quality and reduce the danger of fastener failure, 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". SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) FINDINGS.— The Congress finds that— (1) the American economy uses billions of fasteners each year; (2) millions of mismarked, substandard, counterfeit, and other nonconforming fasteners have been sold in commerce to endusers in the United States, and their use has dramatically increased the risk of equipment and infrastructure failures; (3) both the military and civilian sectors of the economy have encountered unnecessary, unwarranted, and dangerous equipment and construction failures, as well as extraordinary expenses, as a result of the use of nonconforming fasteners; (4) the sale in commerce of nonconforming fasteners and the use of nonconforming fasteners in numerous critical applications have reduced the combat readiness of the Nation's military forces, endsmgered the safety of other Federsil projects and activities, and cost both the public and private sectors large sums in connection with the retesting and purging of fastener inventories; (5) the purchase and use of nonconforming fasteners stem from material misrepresentations about such fasteners made by certain msuiufacturers, importers, and distributors engaged in commerce; (6) current fastener standards of measurement evaluate bolts and other fasteners according to multiple criteria, including strength, hardness, and composition, and provide grade identification markings on fgisteners to make the characteristics of individual fasteners clear to purchasers and users; (7) current tests required by consensus standards, designed to ensure that fasteners are of standard measure, are adequate and appropriate for use as standards in a program of highstrength fastener testing; (8) the lack of traceability by lot number of fasteners sold in commerce is a serious impediment to effective quality control efforts; and (9) the health and safety of Americans is threatened by the widespread sale in commerce of mismarked, substandard, and Nov. 16, 1990 [H.R. 3000] Fastener Quality Act. Consumer protection. 15 USC 5401 note. 15 USC 5401.

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