2007 Year in Review Global Commitment - IAAPA

In 2007, the association’s government relations department expanded an ongoing dialogue
with elected officials to ensure an environment conducive to industry growth, as well as
provide a reservoir of informed opinion from which to draw when needed.
IAAPA Department
Activities
GOVERNMENT
RELATIONS AND
SAFETY SERVICES
Documenting and Advancing
the Industry’s Safety Record
With control of the U.S. Congress passing to the
Democratic party in 2007, Representative Ed Markey’s
efforts to extend Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) oversight to fixed-site amusement rides—in the
name of improved safety—stood a greater chance of
legislative progress than in previous years.
Consequently, IAAPA’s government relations staff
and outside counsel at Williams & Jensen have pursued
a year-long strategy of educating key Members of
Congress on why such a bill is unnecessary due to the
success of the existing regulatory system, and
periodically calling on a grassroots network of
association members to amplify this message.
Comprehensive CPSC reform legislation, considered
in late 2007 by both the House and Senate, became
Congressman Markey’s vehicle of choice for moving his
proposal forward by attempting to attach it as an
amendment to the overall reform package.
Thanks in part to the association’s earlier
educational work, the Markey amendment was not
approved during the mark-up of the House’s CPSC
reform legislation (H.R. 4040) by the Committee on
Energy and Commerce in December 2007. However,
during the mark-up, leadership promised Rep. Markey
would get a hearing on his bill in 2008. IAAPA is
preparing a strategy to minimize the impact of such a
hearing and prevent Markey’s bill from becoming law.
CPSC jurisdiction over fixed rides is unlikely to make
any noticeable difference in industry safety, but IAAPA
has spent the year making progress on two crucial
efforts that will have an effect—ride safety reporting
and standards harmonization.
While ride safety reporting is moving toward
implementation in Europe (see IAAPA Europe section)
and continues to be discussed with other Global
Alliance partners, the association was pleased with this
year’s smooth transition overall to mandatory reporting
for U.S.-based member facilities. Following mid-year
phone calls from key IAAPA leaders to the relative few
who had yet to provide their 2005 or 2006 data, all but a
handful of facilities agreed to report. This development
further strengthens IAAPA’s commitment to industry
safety, and analysis of the 2006 results will soon be
completed by the National Safety Council and posted on
the association web site.
The IAAPA Safety Standards Harmonization Group
made good progress in 2007 as well. Meetings of this
body are held at each IAAPA Attractions Expo,
encompassing standards officials from around the
world whose aim is to eventually produce and
implement a set of universal ride safety criteria. The
panel assigns specific technical areas to leaders who
agree to review all relevant existing standards and
recommend best practices. The resulting documents
will then be maintained as a reference tool for existing
or new standards. Just this year, the ASTM
International F 2291 guidelines on the Standard Practice
for Design of Amusement Rides and Devices have been
adopted by Russia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Making GAINs in Representing
Your Voice in Washington
In many instances, IAAPA learns of legislative issues
weeks or months before they come before the U.S.
Congress and can prepare accordingly. But too often it
seems, issues come up almost overnight and the
association’s lobbying efforts need to be accomplished
quickly.
It’s for these situations that the government relations
continued