Washington, DC: In the wake of the conviction of a Tennessee amusement park manager for reckless homicide in the falling death of a park patron, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) today announced that he is re-introducing the National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act to close a massive loophole in safety regulation of theme park rides.
“The amusement park industry needs to wake up,” said Markey. “When families visit our amusement parks, they expect fundamental safety measures to already be in place. Instead, the industry keeps stonewalling fundamental safety oversight, leaving the prosecution of responsible parties as the only deterrent left, and by then, it is often too late.”

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.

Statement of Introduction, May 19, 2005
Bill Text Bill Text

For Immediate Release
May 19, 2005

 CONTACT: Tara McGuinness
David Moulton
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