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A couple of days ago I wrote about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush.     I believe it to be a poorly conceived piece of legislation and one that will have an adverse impact upon both the Boy Scouts of American and our hobby.

There has been some discussion over the effects of the legislation on the patch collecting hobby.     The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has already responded with new requirements to be imposed upon its licensed vendors in an attempt to ensure those vendors and the BSA are in compliance with this law.

A friend of mine, who requested to remain anonymous was recently discussing this issue with a patch manufacturer and sent me the following message.     I am quoting it with his permission.

I spoke with an unnamed official vendor today, who gave me the low-down on the affects of the new law, and some BSA attitudes toward their official vendors.   …I won’t identify the vendor, but from the documents he sent me, some big changes are coming:

1. plastic back patches are gone.   Backings that contain phtalates, commonly found in the plastic or heat-seal backing are prohibited.   All orders are to comply with the CPSIA, which may mean that the BSA Offically Licensed Seal may no longer be on the back of patches.   In those cases, the BSA-issued hologram sticker is to be used.
2. patches are now toys. According to the CPSIA, the new rules are intended to protect children aged 12 or younger from dangerous toys (“toy” defined as a consumer product designed or intended for children aged 12 years or younger for play)  ; the BSA has determined that this means all patches and emblems.
3. Third Party testing certificates for lead content. There are two effects to this new regulation.   One, the requirement for testing all products for lead will increase the lead time needed for delivery by at least a week, maybe two, as the demand for this service become more necessary.   Second, smaller vendors will be required to “bundle” orders together, and not ship when ready, until a larger number of items can be tested at the same time.   When testing will increase costs by $500 per certified shipment, it would not behoove a council or lodge to rush order a limited run, when the additional cost of testing would double the cost of the order.

Remember, until you hear this from your own vendors or BSA’s official channels, this should not be considered confirmation of new regulations.       Treat it as you would a report fro any other anonymous source: verify it for yourselves.   I encourage readers to investigate this issue, as warranted and appropriate, with their local council and suppliers.

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