In late August, the International Sleep Products Association persuaded a California legislator to amend a bill he introduced earlier this year that could have prohibited all mattress sales in the state beginning in 2020. As originally drafted by assembly member Richard Bloom, Assembly Bill 2998 would have banned the use of all FR chemicals in any component used in juvenile products, upholstered furniture and mattresses sold in California. After months of lobbying against this bill, Bloom agreed that for mattresses his legislation would prohibit only FR chemicals used in foam. This important change means that mattress manufacturers may continue to use FR barriers to meet the 16 CFR Part 1633 federal mattress flammability standard.
In exchange for this critical amendment, ISPA agreed to conduct a study every three years regarding the types of FR materials the industry currently uses to meet fire standards. ISPA will submit the first survey to California in January 2020.
The amended version of AB 2998 passed the Senate 29 to 9 on Aug. 27, and the Assembly 61 to 13 on Aug. 29. The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it into law in the next few weeks.
Once the bill is enacted, ISPA will contact industry stakeholders for input on the process to follow in conducting the new survey. Contact Marie Clarke, ISPA vice president for government affairs, at [email protected] if you have questions regarding the bill or next steps.
