IAAPA Orlando 2002 saw a number of government relations programs that provided the industry with an unprecedented opportunity to meet with public policy makers. Three separate sets of meetings were held to enable government officials to learn about the industry.

CPSC Address
Harold D. Stratton, Jr., new chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), addressed the IAAPA government relations committee. He spoke about his priorities for the CPSC and noted that he intends to enforce the law that governs the commission vigorously. As he had noted in testimony earlier last year before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, he does not intend to seek to expand the jurisdiction of the CPSC. Expansion of the CPSC’s jurisdiction, such as that sought by Congressman Ed Markey regarding fixed-site amusement rides, is a matter for Congress.

Following a question and answer period with members of the committee and IAAPA Board of Directors, Chairman Stratton toured the trade show floor. He spoke with ride manufacturers about their products and about the steps that they take to ensure rider safety. These conversations also included a discussion of the work of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee F-24 on Amusement Rides and Devices. The substantial progress within the F-24 committee toward a new design and manufacture standard was noted.

Congressman Clifford B. Stearns of Florida also visited IAAPA Orlando 2002. Congressman Stearns chairs the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. This committee has jurisdiction over the CPSC. Congressman Stearns addressed the IAAPA Board of Directors and toured the trade show floor.

Congressional Staff Visit
Another government relations activity was a visit by a group of senior
congressional staff members. Both Republican and Democratic staff participated in this trip. The Department of Commerce was also represented. This visit was intended to educate the staff members about the safety of amusement park rides.

Following remarks about the 2002 season from IAAPA President Clark Robinson, the group visited ride manufacturers on the trade show floor. The content of these discussions was similar to those held with Chairman Stratton. The staff then toured the show floor further in smaller groups to pursue additional information.

Formal presentations to the staff group, as well as IAAPA members, were also scheduled. Dr. Douglas Smith and Dr. David Meaney of the University of Pennsylvania addressed the topic of brain injury. In their remarks Smith and Meaney spoke about their research regarding the connection that has been alleged between amusement rides and brain injury. Their presentation explained the conclusions they reached in their recent report in the Journal of Neurotrauma: “Even for a conservative worst-case scenario, we found that the highest estimated peak head accelerations induced by roller coasters were far below conventional levels that are predicted for head injuries. Accordingly, our findings do not support the contention that current roller coaster rides produce high enough forces to mechanically deform and injure the brain.” The full text of this document can be found at www.barbarina.ingentaselect.com.

These guests remained for a discussion among the staff group and IAAPA members regarding the proposed federal legislation to extend the CPSC’s jurisdiction to fixed-site parks, as well as the work of the ASTM F-24 design and manufacture committee that was noted above. Following that discussion, a roundtable about promoting tourism was led by Fred Lounsberry, senior vice president of sales for Universal Orlando and chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America.

The staff group also attended safety demonstrations at IAAPA member facilities in Orlando, including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal Orlando. Senior safety officials of the companies led behind-the-scenes tours. This provided an excellent opportunity to understand why the amusement industry is able to maintain one of the safest forms of recreation.

All of these visits to the convention and trade show offered opportunities for information to be exchanged between the industry and U.S. policy makers. In addition, these officials were able to learn more about IAAPA and its members through meetings with them, and by visits to the show floor.