Sign up to have one of our team of experts contact you
Register Now »

IMPORTANT CA Fee Increase 12/1/2016

The regulatory proposal amending section 1107 of the California Code of Regulations was approved and the proposed fee increases will go into effect on December 1, 2016. Included in these fee changes, the CA Manufacturer and Importer licenses have gone up to $750.00. Visit the bureau’s WEBSITE for more information and the full list of fee increases.

IMPORTANT Massachusetts Policy Changes

Massachusetts is currently reviewing their bedding, upholstered furniture and stuffed toy regulations and has determined that in accordance with M.G.L C. 94, § 271 and/or 105 CMR 620.000 they can require licensing per manufacturing location, just like the rest of the states currently do. Their past interpretation of allowing one license for all of a company’s manufacturing facilities will no longer be allowed, and upon renewal will require a separate application per facility for a fee of $300.00 for each license.

The Importer or Wholesale Dealer must be licensed if the manufacturer is not.

Legal Label is working with MA to ensure proper licensing for each of our clients.

Please note, MA has changed their expiration dates for all new licenses to one year from date of issue (as opposed to 6/30 annually.)

If you need help understanding these changes please contact Legal Label.

Virginia has changed their application

Virginia (VA) has changed their application for Upholstered Furniture Manufacturers, Bedding Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors, Re-upholsterers, Renovators, and Sanitizers to a one page application. If you need a new VA license for any of these license types, contact Legal Label today.

Pennsylvania Variance

Do you know that PA requires a variance for any term not listed in their regulations?

Even if you have an existing license, if you’re using terms on your law label that are not listed in the Pennsylvania Regulations, you need to file a variance application. Some of the common terms that require a variance are:

  • Batting
  • Blended Fiber Batting
  • Cotton (by itself)
  • Olefin
  • Pad
  • Polypropylene Fiber
  • Polystyrene Foam Beads
  • Resonated
  • Visco Elastic

If you’re not sure if your terms are accepted in PA, or if your law label has changed since your initial application, contact us for help with this complicated requirement. It’s always a good idea to have us periodically review your law labels to ensure they are still in compliance with changing regulations. CONTACT US

OK, MA, WV Renewals Due

Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and West Virginia Renewals are due by June 30th. If Legal Label is handling your renewals, we have already submitted all the necessary paperwork, and your 2017 OK and WV licenses have likely already been uploaded to your Client Portal.  Contact your Account Manager with questions.

IABFLO Conference 2016, Re-cap

This year’s IABFLO conference, held at the Wyndham Philadelphia in historic downtown from April 19-22, was a great success. A shout out to President Michelle Jack of Utah, Richard Selegue of Ohio, and Kay Harris of North Carolina for all their hard work in organizing this conference.

We were happy to see that Pennsylvania has rejoined IABFLO and that the City of Detroit sent their bedding program administrator, Lisa Clark Jones.

This year Ikea was kind enough to give us a tour of their DC unit in New Jersey; an impressive example of warehouse management and technology on a massive scale.
This was followed by a fabulous industry dinner, courtesy of DuPont and Print Craft at Pietro’s Italian Restaurant and was greatly appreciated by all.

We spoke with a number of conference attendees, including Speakers Kathy Manderino, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Joe Mohorivic of ISPA, Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia of Intertek, Dr Heather Stapleton of Duke University, Joanne Mattiace of the Law Offices of Joanne Mattiace, Wilf Lieber of IDFL, Ryan Trainer of ISPA and Christina Slaybaugh of Pennsylvania. Copies of their presentations will soon be available on the IABFLO website for members.

During the round-table we heard from some State Regulators of upcoming changes. These included the following:


California: expect to see the license fees go up, possibly as soon as October of this year. The proposed fees will be as follows:

Bureau’s current and proposed fee for each license type.

Section 1107(a) Subsections and License Type    Current Fee    Proposed Fee
Importer’s License $650 $750
Furniture and Bedding Manufacturer’s License $650 $750
Wholesale Furniture and Bedding Dealer’s License $540 $625
Supply Dealer’s License $540 $625
Custom Upholsterer’s License $360 $420
Sanitizer’s License $360 $420
Retail Furniture Dealer’s License $120 $140
Retail Bedding Dealer’s License $120 $140
Retail Furniture and Bedding Dealer’s License $240 $280

 

Additionally in 2017 they will develop a rule making packet to update the law label and the terminology in their classification of filling materials. Prior to the formal rule making proceeding, California officials have indicated a willingness to receive and consider written comments regarding possible future action.

If you wish to receive updates on this matter and other Bureau activities please subscribe to their LISTSERV.

Lastly California mentioned that now that TB117-113 SB1019 has been instituted for a period of time you can expect to see more inspections looking specifically for compliance with this flammability regulation.


Connecticut: is now inspecting secondhand dealers and they are starting to issue major financial fines against dealers for not sanitizing properly. They also warned that if these corrections are not addressed then the company who does not comply stands to lose their Secondhand Dealers License and will be unable to operate their store without one.


Detroit MI: The bedding program coordinator, Lisa Clark Jones joined IABFLO this year. Detroit is planning on ramping up their program so you can expect to see change including more enforcement in the year to come.


North Carolina: Kay Harris spoke about the licensing backlog, dealing with employee absence, and how they have been working on getting these licenses out.


Ohio: Richard Selegue and Derrick Hubner informed us that Ohio has bought new pieces of equipment, including a new Thermo Scientific Nicolet FT-IR and also a new compound microscope. This will be a significant assistance in being more efficient and hopefully move samples through more effectively.


Pennsylvania. Spoke of how AP has rejoined IABFLO and how they will review their regulation in the coming months in terms of requirements for variances.


Utah: UT State legislature has approved a Sterilization Permit requirement for clothing and bedding. Currently this is in the documentation process for rules/guidelines and may be effective in 2017.


 The 2017 IABFLO conference is scheduled in Newport, Rhode Island from April 26-27.

 

Maryland Introduces Mattress Recycling Bill

02/17/ 2016 Maryland has introduced legislation that would require a mattress recycling program be established by manufacturers. This is different from CA, CT and RI programs because it requires the manufacturers to charge a fee on any mattresses sold to retailers and for the retailers to then charge the fee to consumers. The fee would not be required to be disclosed to consumers. ISPA is opposing this legislation due to the inconsistency with other states. Visit sleepproducts.org for more information.

California Mattress Recycling

California’s mattress recycling program, Bye Bye Mattress, launched December 30th, 2015. The program, required by a 2013 law, provides mattress and  box spring recycling free of charge in CA. This program also provides designated collection sites and recycling facilities, where CA residents can drop off used mattresses for free. The funding for this program is provided by an $11 recycling fee that is collected by mattress sellers on each new mattress and/or box spring that is sold in the state, and then remitted to the MRC each month.

All mattress manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and others selling mattresses in CA must register with the Mattress Recycling Council, or under  law, you will not be allowed to sell mattresses in CA. To register for free, simply click here.

Rhode Island Mattress Recycling Program

The Rhode Island Mattress Recycling Program launches May 1, 2016. Sellers of mattresses must collect a $10 per unit fee on every mattress and box spring sold for use in RI. Mattress producers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and others selling mattresses in RI must register at mrcrepporting.org. Registration is free and easy. This secure portal allows mattress sellers to submit monthly sales reports and remit recycling fees. For more program developments and information visit mattressrecyclingcouncil.org, where you can sign up to receive notices.