A potentially damaging legislative proposal involving retreaded tires in Georgia has been defeated. The measure, contained in Georgia House Bill 981, would have prohibited retreads on official state vehicles designated to respond to public safety emergencies.
The provision was removed following intensive lobbying efforts by the Tire Industry Association (TIA), the Tire Retread Repair & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) and the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA).
Also among the industry volunteers who mustered their expertise was Jim Whitehead of Jim Whitehead Tire Service, Inc., who formerly served in Georgia’s state senate.
“This was truly a team effort. TRIB sounded the early alarm; TIA and RMA worked the phones to contact members of the Georgia Senate Public Safety Committee, and the Georgia retreaders worked the grassroots and really took this fight all the way,” reports Paul Fiore, the TIA’s director of government and business relations.
“We all viewed this as a ‘slippery slope,’ firmly believing that even the slightest negative characterization of retreaded tires under any circumstances would certainly give way to even more restrictive legislation based not on fact and experience, but on fear and misinformation,” Fiore points out.
He adds that the “the Georgia retreaders who worked on this effort are planning on engaging with the legislature over the next year to educate members and provide tours of member facilities.”
For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org.
