More Reaction to CPSIA

[Len]

Looks like letter wrting to the Congress Critters is starting to get their attention.

[sweet sawdust]

Letter from my congressman showing his concern for small business and his understanding of the real world

MITCH McCONNELL

KENTUCKY

361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON. DC 20510-1702

[phone]

January 13, 2009

REPUBLICAN LEADER

COMMITTEES.

AGRlCUL TURE

APPROPRJA nONS RULES AND ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Curran Copeland

795 Rockcastle Road

Cadiz, Kentucky 42211-9353

Dear Mr. Copeland:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the safety of U.S. consumer products such as toys and food. Hearing your views helps me represent Kentucky in the United States Senate.

As you know, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent regulatory agency established in 1973 to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products and to promote research into the prevention of product-related harms. Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the u.s. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) administer the federal government's food regulatory system. While FSIS inspects meat, poultry, and processed egg products, FDA inspects all other items to ensure

safety and proper labeling. '

During 2007, several categories of imported items drew concern and scrutiny, ranging from toys with excessive amounts of lead to contaminated pet food. Like you, I believe that the items sold to American families must always be safe. As such, the federal government has taken additional steps to improve the safety of U.S. imports. For example, in 2007, the Food and Drug Administration issued warnings and announced import controls on various imported items such as pet food, farm-raised seafood, toothpaste, and other products found to violate U.S. health and safety regulations. And, in 2008, Congress passed and the President signed H.R. 4040, the CPSC Reform Act. The CPSC Reform Act helps promote safety by providing further oversight fOJ product testing before products are placed on the market.

In your correspondence, you expressed your concerns regarding the product regulations promulgated in accordance with the CPSC Reform Act. As you may know, the regulations required by the CPSC Reform Act become effective on February 10, 2009. Some observers, including some small businesses that manufacture toys and clothing: argue that the regulations will result in the loss of pre-February 2009 inventories as well as impose significant compliance costs. However, proponents of the new standards support them as important to safety. On January 8, 2009, the CPSC announced that the new regulations would go into effect on February

10, 2009, to regulate the amount of lead and other potentially harmful substances in consumer products. The new standard for lead content will be phased in so that some products created before February 10, 2009, will still be permitted on store shelves until August 9, 2009._

Federal Building

241 E. Main Street Room 102

Bowling Green. KY 42101 [phone]

1885 Dixie Highway Suite 345

Fort Wright, KY 410 II [phone]

771 Corporate Drive Suite 108

Lexington. KY 40503 [phone]

300 South Main Suite 310

London. KY 40741 [phone]

601 West Broadway Room 630

Louisville. KY 40202 [phone]

Professional Arts Building

2320 Broadway

Suite toO

Paducah. KY 42001 [phone]

Page 2

January 13,2009

I appreciate you sharing with me your concerns regarding the CPSC regulations. Please rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind should the full u.s. Senate again consider CPSC legislation in the III th Congress.

Again, thank you for contacting me to share your views on product safety. Please do not hesitate to keep me informed of issues that are important to you.

Sincerely,

~~

MITCH McCONNELL UNITED STATES SENATOR

"

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[Mark & Juanita]

... snip of Senatorial "can't do nothing about it now letter"

Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it? ... and remember, he's one of the so-called evil free-market guys who supposedly values business over safety. He's also part of the Senate that has almost zero power right now. The ones in power give even less of a rip for small businesses than this.

[sweet sawdust]

> Len

Contacted Ed Whitfield's (R-Ky) office this morning about the cpsia and talked to his legislative assistant. I was begged not to give out his name, phone number or e-mail to anyone else. Sounds like they may be getting a feeling that some of the public might be interested in this legislation.

I also talked to a aid in one of McConnell's (R-KY) local office and she asked "did the senator vote for this?" "I can't believe anyone would, it's putting too many of my friends out of business"

[Curran Copeland]

Some hope at he end of the tunnel?????

The following new entries have been posted to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's web page on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 located at

in What's New:

CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products

[Curran Copeland]

FYI

James Robertson Rep. Whitfield

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2009 Release #09-115 CPSC Recall Hotline: [phone] CPSC Media Contact: [phone]

CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

Significant to makers of children's products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers - large and small - of children's products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.

The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.

The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.

The stay does not apply to:

a.. Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children's products subject to: · The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;

· The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009; · The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and · The limits on lead content of metal components of children's jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.

a.. Certification requirements applicable to ATV's manufactured after April 13, 2009. b.. Pre-CPSIA testing and certification requirements, including for: automatic residential garage door openers, bike helmets, candles with metal core wicks, lawnmowers, lighters, mattresses, and swimming pool slides; and c.. Pool drain cover requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act. The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children's garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.

The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.

The Commission trusts that State Attorneys General will respect the Commission's judgment that it is necessary to stay certain testing and certification requirements and will focus their own enforcement efforts on other provisions of the law, e.g. the sale of recalled products.

Please visit the CPSC Web site at

for more information on all of the efforts being made to successfully implement the CPSIA.

Statements on this vote by Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas H. Moore are in portable document format (PDF).

[MikeWhy]

...

I feel safer already. How much nervous system damage is that MF going to suffer if he's already suckling on dirt bikes, garage door openers, and lawnmowers?

[Mark & Juanita]

Hi. I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.

Scariest phrase in the English language.