Patrick Leahy: “I am delighted that Senator Hatch, Senator Kohl, Senator DeWine, and I have been able to work together to develop a…”

“I am delighted that Senator Hatch, Senator Kohl, Senator DeWine, and I have been able to work together to develop a version of this bill that can pass today as the Standards Development Organization Advancement Act. Technical standards help to promote safety, increase efficiency, and allow for interoperability in a variety of products Americans use every day. Despite the fact that they go largely unnoticed, we would be markedly less safe without airbags that deploy properly in serious automobile collisions, more vulnerable were there not technical standards for fire retardant materials in homes. And consumers would be less likely to make the purchases that drive our economy without the technical standards that ensure a light bulb will fit in its socket or allow DVDs to function properly regardless of the manufacturer. In the United States, most technical standards are developed by private, not-for-profit Standards Development Organizations, which often possess superior knowledge and adaptability in highly technical matters. Rather than Government overregulation of technical standards, SDOs promulgate guidelines that frequently are then adopted by State and Federal governments.”