Automotive Safety and Jobs in Michigan

Rep. McCotter, I'm a manager at an automotive supplier (and an old friend of yours from high school) whose business is threatened by a loophole in the Tread Act, which passed in 1999. This Act is meant to protect motorists from the dangers of driving under conditions that could result in tire tread separation and rollovers. A loophole in the Tread Act allows for unsafe tire pressure monitoring systems to be used to detect a low tire condition. These systems are easily confused, and there's high potential that drivers will drive indefinitely on underinflated tires without ever being notified of the problem. One simple change to the wording of the Tread Act is all it would take to protect my employees and motorists in the US. I just want all tire pressure monitoring systems to warn the driver when the system has been configured improperly. If the system can be configured in any way such that it can't detect low tire pressure, then a system malfunction light must be illuminated on the dash until the system is setup properly. That's all I'm asking for. These systems are under evaluation at automakers and are perceived to be less expensive than my company's technology. I know it seems small, but this issue is very important to my organization. It could mean the loss of many jobs in Michigan and Tennessee (where my factory is located). Thanks for your help and consideration. Rich Huber