BOSTON, AUG. 5, 2004 -- The National Textile Association (NTA) announced today that three major domestic manufacturers in the industry -- Dan River Inc., Springs Industries, Inc. and WestPoint Stevens Inc. -- have joined NTA and will serve on the Association's new Textile Bedding Committee for "top of the bed" product manufacturers.

The Textile Bedding Committee will function as a committee of the Home Fashions Council, which also includes the Upholstery Fabrics Committee. Linwood Wright of Dan River Inc. serves as chairman of the Textile Bedding Committee.

The committee, representing manufacturers of textile bedding products such as sheets, comforters, pillows, and blankets, filed comments with the Senate Commerce Committee in opposition to the current wording of the American Home Fire Safety Act (S. 1798) on July 14. The AHFSA would require that filled bedding products, like comforters and pillows, resist burning and would require the adoption of a California draft standard, which is still under development, as the national standard. If approved, the regulation will become effective 90 days after it becomes law.

The Textile Bedding Committee is also working with the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (CBHFTI) on a mandatory flammability regulation for filled textile bedding products. Assembly Bill 603, which was passed by the California Assembly in 2001, gives CBHFTI the authority to regulate these products. The CBHFTI is expected to begin formal rulemaking later this year.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is also studying textile- bedding flammability and has announced that by the end of 2004, it will begin a review to determine if flammability regulations are needed. The first phase of rulemaking, an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, will be included in the agency's briefing package on mattress flammability, which will be released later this year.

NTA Chairman William E. Giblin, president of Tweave, Inc., said, "We are delighted to have the Textile Bedding Committee as an active industry group in the National Textile Association. This marks the second new committee we have formed this year, and we welcome this important industry sector. NTA provides many valuable services to its membership and we're glad to be able to provide this additional key leadership.

"The safety of all bedding products manufactured by our members is a high priority," according to Textile Bedding Committee Chairman, E. Linwood Wright of Dan River Inc. "We are working cooperatively with California officials and believe we are making good progress in development of a standard test method. We will extend this cooperation to the national level with the Consumer Product Safety Commission as it begins its work."