CPSIA - Answer from TX Senator

Dear Blog,

You may remember that I contacted our Texas senator... well this is the answer I got:

Dear Ms. Ivanisevic:

Thank you for contacting me about consumer safety. I share your concerns regarding the safety of consumer goods, and I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important matter.

Recent revelations of tainted imports and other consumer goods are troubling to all Americans. To address this critical issue, then-President George W. Bush established the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety by Executive Order on July 18, 2007. Led by the President’s cabinet secretaries, this working group thoroughly reviewed our nation's supply chain to identify risks and make recommendations on how best to improve product safety in the marketplace. The working group concluded that no single stage in the supply chain—from foreign manufacturers and exporters to domestic importers and retailers—bears full responsibility for recent product recalls. Therefore, it is important to detect vulnerability in each stage of the supply chain and respond with a comprehensive policy that ensures public safety.

An important step towards increased consumer safety came on July 31, 2008, when the Senate approved the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act (P.L. 110–314). This legislation bolsters the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that inspects consumer products and enforces compliance. Additionally, P.L. 110–314 updates product safety standards beginning with toys and other children’s products by banning six categories of phthalate chemicals and all measurable traces of lead from toys. P.L. 110–314 will modernize product labels to make it easier for parents and consumers to determine if a product they have purchased has been recalled, and for the first time retailers will be prohibited from selling items that are subject to a recall.

Because the volume of children’s products required to meet new safety standards is large, P.L. 110–314 allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to designate accredited third-party laboratories to inspect and approve products designed or intended primarily for children age 12 and younger. The CPSC is required to issue accreditation requirements for such laboratories and maintain a list of the accredited laboratories; deadlines for the publication of such requirements differ according to the type of product being tested by the laboratory.

Furthermore, many manufacturers of children's products are concerned with how the CPSC will implement these testing requirements—chiefly with the costs associated with third-party testing. As a result, the CPSC is currently soliciting comments from manufacturers and the public as regulations pertaining to this section of the law are written. It is your right as a citizen to participate in the regulatory process. The CPSC has established the following website where individuals may find more information regarding local meetings, how to submit comments and recommendations, and how to join a mailing list for updates on CPSC developments: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html.

I am encouraged by your willingness to participate in the regulatory process, and you may be certain that I will keep your concerns in mind should relevant legislation be considered by the Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

At least somebody answered but but.....

Cya,

Patricia