15 U.S.C. § 2075: State standards

Summary

When a federal consumer product safety rule covers a product and a risk of injury, states and local governments must not make or keep their own different rules about how the product works, is made, packaged, or labeled if those rules try to deal with the same risk. A state rule can only differ if it is exactly the same as the federal rule. The federal government, or a state or local government for its own use, may have a different rule if it gives a significantly higher level of protection than the federal standard. A state or local government can also ask the Commission for an exemption to keep a different rule. To get one, the rule must give much better protection and must not unfairly burden selling products across state lines. The Commission will give notice, allow people to speak, may set conditions, and will look at feasibility, cost, where the product is sold, whether others might seek the same exemption, and the need for a single national rule.

Title 15, §2075

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)State compliance to Federal standards

Whenever a consumer product safety standard under this chapter is in effect and applies to a risk of injury associated with a consumer product, no State or political subdivision of a State shall have any authority either to establish or to continue in effect any provision of a safety standard or regulation which prescribes any requirements as to the performance, composition, contents, design, finish, construction, packaging, or labeling of such product which are designed to deal with the same risk of injury associated with such consumer product, unless such requirements are identical to the requirements of the Federal standard.

(b)Consumer product safety requirements which impose performance standards more stringent than Federal standards

Subsection (a) of this section does not prevent the Federal Government or the government of any State or political subdivision of a State from establishing or continuing in effect a safety requirement applicable to a consumer product for its own use which requirement is designed to protect against a risk of injury associated with the product and which is not identical to the consumer product safety standard applicable to the product under this chapter if the Federal, State, or political subdivision requirement provides a higher degree of protection from such risk of injury than the standard applicable under this chapter.

(c)Exemptions

Upon application of a State or political subdivision of a State, the Commission may by rule, after notice and opportunity for oral presentation of views, exempt from the provisions of subsection (a) (under such conditions as it may impose in the rule) any proposed safety standard or regulation which is described in such application and which is designed to protect against a risk of injury associated with a consumer product subject to a consumer product safety standard under this chapter if the State or political subdivision standard or regulation—

(1)provides a significantly higher degree of protection from such risk of injury than the consumer product safety standard under this chapter, and

(2)does not unduly burden interstate commerce.

In determining the burden, if any, of a State or political subdivision standard or regulation on interstate commerce, the Commission shall consider and make appropriate (as determined by the Commission in its discretion) findings on the technological and economic feasibility of complying with such standard or regulation, the cost of complying with such standard or regulation, the geographic distribution of the consumer product to which the standard or regulation would apply, the probability of other States or political subdivisions applying for an exemption under this subsection for a similar standard or regulation, and the need for a national, uniform standard under this chapter for such consumer product.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1976—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–284 substituted provision that a standard provide a significantly higher degree of protection from the risk of injury for the provision that the standard impose a higher level of performance. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94–284 substituted requirement that a State standard provide a significantly higher degree of protection from the risk of injury than the standard under this chapter for the requirement that the State standard impose a higher level of performance, eliminated the requirement of a compelling local condition, and inserted the requirement that the Commission make specific findings in determining the burden on interstate commerce.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective on the sixtieth day following Oct. 27, 1972, see section 34 of Pub. L. 92–573, set out as a note under section 2051 of this title. PreemptionThe provisions of this section establishing the extent to which the Consumer Product Safety Act [15 U.S.C. 2051 et seq.] preempts, limits, or otherwise affects any other Federal, State, or local law, any rule, procedure, or regulation, or any cause of action under State or local law not to be expanded or contracted in scope, or limited, modified or extended in application, by any rule or regulation under the Consumer Product Safety Act, or by reference in any preamble, statement of policy, executive branch statements, or other matter associated with the publication of any such rule or regulation, see section 231 of Pub. L. 110–314, set out as a note under section 2051 of this title.

§2075 State Standards