Legislation + Regulation

  By Michael Weems, VP of Public Policy, American Lighting Association  What You Need to Know:  Increased prices, as a result of the Section 301 tariffs on product coming from China, are here to stay and new tariffs are on the way. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently released the long-awaited [...]

  The 2023 National Electric Code (NEC) language initially banned battery-only wall light switches. However, the NFPA published a Temporary Interim Amendment to the 2023 NEC that now allows some battery-only wall light switches IF they incorporate a positive means of notification of impending battery depletion. LightNOW published a story on May 4, 2023: 2023 NEC [...]

  ALA’s next member forum will be hosted Wednesday, May 15, at 12 p.m., CDT. This forum, designed for manufacturer members, will cover the extended producer responsibility laws related to plastic and packaging, which are becoming commonplace. Rachel Michelin, president, of the California Retailers Association, will lead the forum with a brief presentation, followed by an [...]

By Michael Weems, VP of Public Policy, American Lighting Association The Department of Labor: The Department of Labor (DOL) issued the long overdue rule on overtime pay, amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide protection to over 4 million American workers. Overtime pay protections are automatic for hourly employees, ensuring those that put in more [...]

  On April 12th, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final rule for General Service Lamp (GSL) standards. The new standards will raise GSL efficacy requirements from the current 45 lpW (aka the backstop), up to 83 – 195 lpW, depending on lamp type and lumen output. The previous 45 lpW backstop was [...]

  The Washington State legislature passed House Bill 1185, which will ban mercury-containing fluorescent lamps. Washington will become the 8th state to ban most fluorescent lamps. The bill is now on its way to Governor Inslee’s desk to be signed into law, which is expected. Some key provisions of the bill include: Beginning January 1, [...]

  On February 9th, 2024, a bill was introduced into the Illinois legislature, the “Outdoor Lighting Control Act”, SB3501. The bill includes legislative findings, defines terms, and provides that all new, renovated, or retrofitted luminaires purchased with State funds after the effective date of the Act or installed after the effective date of the Act [...]

By Michael Weems, VP of Public Policy, American Lighting Association (ALA) The following is reprinted with the permission of ALA. The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws originated out of the European Union. Since then, EPR laws have flourished worldwide, including in the United States and Canada. The initial wave of EPR laws focused on electronics and battery [...]

Louisiana’s utility regulators, the Louisiana Public Service Commission, voted in late January to approve creation of the first state-wide, independent, energy efficiency program in the Southeast U.S. The program will have a mission to reduce energy usage and energy bills for both homes and businesses across the state. Measures can include things like insulating buildings, [...]