From: Bonnie G. Carter
Date: 8/23/98

PRESS RELEASE

The Fastener Quality Act: Back to The Drawing Board

Our Congressional leaders have finally recognized the weaknesses of The Fastener Quality Act. On August 14, the president signed H.R.3824 into law as P.L.105-234.

The basics of the new law will: 1. exempt the manufacturers of aerospace fasteners from complying with the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) if an FAA standard is referenced, 2. require a full study of the changes in fastener manufacturing since the FQA was enacted, and 3. require a review of other regulatory programs which may be duplicated by the FQA. The law delays the implementation of the FQA and requires an industry study to be completed before June 1999.

The study is to be undertaken by the Secretary of Commerce and transmitted to the Committee of Science and the Committee on Commerce in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Several fastener industry organizations are planning to supply information to the Secretary of Commerce to assist in preparing the industry review. The Public Law Task Force (PLTF) is expected to suggest a much abbreviated form of the law for consideration. Metric Importers of North America (MINA) will submit information supporting a complete repeal of FQA. The National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA) will continue to work for the full repeal and is prepared to accept a much simpler version offered by the PLTF. NFDA will also offer industry data to the Secretary of Commerce to help support the overall industry study.

This latest change in the FQA was spurred by the FAA requesting exemption for aerospace fastener manufacturers. Most aerospace fastener specifications are very direct in their language of quality requirements and testing. The FQA would have forced duplication of testing to meet both the quality control aspects of FAA and FQA. The requested exemption would have dealt only with FAA specifications. This could have left open a door for future requests for exemption by other organizations.

The fastener industry and congress have generally agreed that many changes have occurred to improve the environment of fastener manufacturing and distribution since the first stirrings of a need to protect the population from bogus bolts. During the hearings for the FAA exemption, many people testified that the fastener industry has made many advances in manufacturing and quality control since the FQA was conceived. It became obvious that a total review and possible overhaul of the FQA were necessary.

We have seen the results of a law compiled by NIST. Perhaps, if legislation of the fastener industry is required, we should consider using a coalition of fastener and other involved industries to draft the law. At the very least, a succinct definition of a fastener and an understanding of the number and types of testing labs could be developed.

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Submitted by Bonnie G. Carter,   Coordinator - Metric Importers of North America (MINA),
A nationwide group of companies importing metric fasteners

August 23, 1998