Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., toured Mag Instrument’s headquarters and factory in Ontario, California, on Aug. 15, 2017. Afterward he said he would introduce a House bill to create a national standard for Made in USA claims that would override state standards. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported the visit the next day.
Why Maglite dropped the label
Mag Instrument makes Maglite flashlights. Company executives said it stopped using the Made in USA label in 2004 because of California’s origin law. Corporate counsel Jerrold Reilly said plaintiffs’ lawyers had discovered the law in the early 2000s.
Vice president Jim Zecchini said the decision followed a $14 million judgment against an Oregon manufacturer selling in California. The Daily Bulletin described the California law as requiring 95% domestic content.
Founder Anthony Maglica said that for some product lines, just two parts stand in the way of the label: an O-ring and a small chip that switches the light from a steady beam to a strobe. Neither is made in the USA, he said, and making them domestically would raise prices.
Maglica blamed the loss of the label for much of the drop in Maglite’s Ontario workforce, from 1,200 to 400.
The legislative picture
Issa said he expected to introduce his bill within a week or two. It would join S.118, the Senate national-standard bill sponsored by Sens. Mike Lee and Angus King.
Issa also said he was concerned about losing the machine-building skills that companies like Mag Instrument keep in the USA.
For background, see our 2013 report on California’s law and the 2021 Senate vote on the national standard.
FAQ
Why doesn’t Maglite say Made in USA?
The company said it dropped the label in 2004 because of litigation risk under California’s stricter origin law.
What did Issa propose?
A House bill setting one national Made in USA standard that would override state standards.
Which parts are imported?
Founder Anthony Maglica cited an O-ring and a small control chip on some product lines.
Source & credit
Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: “Congressman Issa joins effort to get ‘Made In USA’ label back on Ontario company’s Maglite flashlights”, by Jim Steinberg, Aug. 16, 2017.