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AHFA officials meet with federal regulators, legislators

Discuss key issues affecting home furnishings

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 3, 2010

HIGH POINT — Top staff members from the American Home Furnishings Alliance spent two days in Washington last week, working to keep regulators and legislators aware of key issues affecting the home furnishings industry.

Crib safety, furniture tip-over, proposed flammability regulations for upholstered furniture and compliance challenges created by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act were topics of discussion with members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and their staffs, the AHFA said.

"We were able to bring the commissioners up to date on AHFA's extensive efforts to provide furniture tip-over safety information to consumers through our consumer Web site," said the alliance's CEO, Andy Counts. "We also had the opportunity to discuss two of AHFA's top regulatory issues for 2010: CPSIA and a federal flammability standard for upholstered furniture."

Counts was joined by AHFA Vice President Bill Perdue.

Regarding the CPSIA, the AHFA requested that the CPSC consider exempting composite wood products from the regulation's lead certification requirements. Unfinished solid wood is already exempt.

The commissioners expressed concern over the glues and resins used in engineered wood but said they would consider the exemption if the industry could prove that lead "is not and never could be" added to the manufacturing process. Counts told the commissioners that he believed the industry could supply the information necessary and that AHFA would begin work immediately on gathering the data to file a petition for the exemption.

Later, Counts and Perdue visited with Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Reps. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), Mel Watt (D-N.C.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), along with staff members for four other legislators, including Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.).

"The first quarter of 2010 has been crammed with legislative and regulatory activity impacting the residential furniture industry," Counts said, noting that a federal formaldehyde emission standard and other Environmental Protection Agency initiatives were high on the list of priorities to discuss with legislators. "Our ability to influence the outcome on these issues requires us to remain visible and vocal."

AHFA said members of its board of directors will visit in Washington this spring, fanning out on Capitol Hill to meet with legislators.

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AHFA staff keeps Washington informed

Mar 22, 2010

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