WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), reiterated his call for Congress to pass federal legislation closing a massive loophole in safety regulation of fixed-site theme park rides after two more amusement park ride accidents this weekend in Florida and New Jersey. In May, Markey reintroduced the National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act, H.R. 2320, legislation that would extend federal oversight to cover fixed-site amusement park rides, which are currently exempt from federal consumer product safety laws and regulations.

“We haven’t even reached the peek of the summer vacation season, and we are again faced with another amusement park ride accident. The accident in New Jersey was the second fatality on the same ride in three years, an unfortunate circumstance which underlines the need for coordinated accident investigations and reports across state lines,” said Rep. Markey. “For too long, Congress has ignored the Roller Coaster Loophole. I hope my colleagues will take heed and support my legislation to close this loophole and restore national oversight of the rides our children and families all enjoy.”

The nation’s leading safety agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), oversees the safety of carnival (“mobile”) rides, but a loophole prohibits the CPSC from overseeing the safety of park (“permanent”) rides. Markey’s legislation would allow the CPSC to perform its intended mission – preventing accidents before they occur by ensuring that safety corrections found necessary on one ride in one state are implemented on all similar rides in all states.

The National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act has been endorsed by Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, Saferparks.org, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Kids in Danger. Rep. Markey’s bill will close the special-interest loophole that prevents effective federal safety oversight of amusement park rides. It would restore to the CPSC the standard safety jurisdiction over “fixed-site” amusement park rides that it used to have before the Roller Coaster Loophole was created. Markey’s bill also authorizes appropriations of $500 thousand annually to the CPSC to carry out the additional responsibilities. It would restore CPSC’s authority to:

1. Investigate accidents;
2. Develop and enforce action plans to correct defects; and
3. Act as a national clearinghouse for accident and defect data.