tangent4ronpaul
01-10-2009, 12:17 PM
From the handmadetoyalliance.org:
In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys containing dangerously high lead content, unsafe small parts, and chemicals that made kids sick.
The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number.
All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational companies to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each item have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their systems to include batch labels. Small businesses however, will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.
Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.
There is a clear disconnect between the sweeping nature of this law, and the narrow range of products that were problematic in 2007. The CPSIA applies standards that were put in place in reaction to the sale of toys contaminated with lead paint and toxic plastics. Rather than focus on these materials, this law places a guilty until proven innocent mentality on all children's product producers by imposing mandatory testing and certification, and in the process will kill an entire industry.
Thriving small businesses are crucial to the financial health of our nation. Let's amend the CPSIA so that all businesses large and small are able to comply and survive!
Here's a post from another board with contact info on who to call / write / fax directly. Remember, passion is a good thing, but being over emotional won't help accomplish the goal - changing this overbearing legislation.
-----------------------------------------------------------
you may have to call at least 5 times and keep leaving mesages before Nancy Nord calls you back. I was pleasantly surprised when she DID call me back. ALso, the numbers and addresses below is the office of Congressman Bobby Rush. He is the chairman of the Subcommitte of Commerce Trade and COnsumer Protection. This is the committee that originated the bill that was signed into law.
The urgency here is to make changes in the law before it becomes enacted and enforced on Feb. 10. The only people who have the ability to make changes are the people who passed it- Congress.We need to keep making those calls, sending letters & faxes and writing emails to our representatives so they are forced to pay attention to what they signed into law.
Nany Nord- the number you have been calling- is the acting Head of the CPSC. THis is the agency part of the government that is in charge of implementing and policing the law. She too needs to be flooded with phonecalls as she has direct contact with the Subcommittee. By the way- she was also present when the bill was signed and I think is just as responsible for the lack of oversight.
Washington Office
2416 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-4372
fax: 202-226-0333
District Office
700-706 E. 79th. St.
Chicago, IL 60619
phone: 773-224-6500
fax: 773-224-9624
South Suburban District Office
3235 W. 147th St.
Midlothian, IL. 60445
phone: 708-385-9550
fax: 708-385-3860
PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION NOW!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040.html
I'm sorry to be such a pain but if we could get everyone who is posting on this site to sign my petition for the reformation of CPSIA we'd have something to show the politicians.
Rest assured that the petition is safe, you only need to leave you name and a comment if you wish. I have posted the petition and I am the author of http://www.ReformCPSIA.org. If you have any concerns about signing the petition email me at dlapolla@gmail.com.
I have spoken with Congressman Lungren's Staff and we are trying to put together a meeting to brainstorm this issue and I want to be able to present this petition to Congressman Lungren as well as other important members of the CPSC and the Small Business Committee. These groups are key in getting the reform we want on this Act!
ACT NOW!!!! Sign the PETITION! You have NOTHING to LOOSE and EVERYTHING TO GAIN!
Help us keep childern's products safe and American businesses in business!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040.html
Pass this on everyone!
Sincerely,
Dawn Michelle LaPolla
From the December 23rd LA Times:
The toy alliance is hoping to get Congress to revise the law to exempt manufacturers who make children's items exclusively using natural products such as wood and cotton, or to allow them to test those raw materials instead of the finished products.
"Don't count on that," said Sharon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for Rush, the congressman.
"Nobody likes to tighten up," she said. "But the law is the law, and the standards aren't going to be changed."
On January 6th, Bloomberg.com quoted Julie Vallesse of the CPSC :
“The agency is aware that this one-size-fits-all law doesn’t necessarily fit all sectors,” Vallesse said “But the laws are set and Congress was very explicit.”
--------------------
It appears that our representatives in Congress have had time to consider the implications of this horrendous law. Here is one very encouraging example:
http://handmade-toys.googlegroups.com/attach/47285af2367e93f2/cpsc.kids+clothing.CPSC+LTR.jan+07+09.pdf?gda=RumC WUUAAADlxJ8ye75Yan4kQqwVBkBym8TRjc3Dgz4nWo5jCoXtfb pvrANbQtkLOX4ei8RvWqKO3f1cykW9hbJ1ju6H3kglGu1iLHeq hw4ZZRj3RjJ_-A&gsc=C2MatAsAAAAyKaibmWGcMM2fbp1WCQNP&view=1&part=2
In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys containing dangerously high lead content, unsafe small parts, and chemicals that made kids sick.
The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number.
All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational companies to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each item have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their systems to include batch labels. Small businesses however, will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.
Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.
There is a clear disconnect between the sweeping nature of this law, and the narrow range of products that were problematic in 2007. The CPSIA applies standards that were put in place in reaction to the sale of toys contaminated with lead paint and toxic plastics. Rather than focus on these materials, this law places a guilty until proven innocent mentality on all children's product producers by imposing mandatory testing and certification, and in the process will kill an entire industry.
Thriving small businesses are crucial to the financial health of our nation. Let's amend the CPSIA so that all businesses large and small are able to comply and survive!
Here's a post from another board with contact info on who to call / write / fax directly. Remember, passion is a good thing, but being over emotional won't help accomplish the goal - changing this overbearing legislation.
-----------------------------------------------------------
you may have to call at least 5 times and keep leaving mesages before Nancy Nord calls you back. I was pleasantly surprised when she DID call me back. ALso, the numbers and addresses below is the office of Congressman Bobby Rush. He is the chairman of the Subcommitte of Commerce Trade and COnsumer Protection. This is the committee that originated the bill that was signed into law.
The urgency here is to make changes in the law before it becomes enacted and enforced on Feb. 10. The only people who have the ability to make changes are the people who passed it- Congress.We need to keep making those calls, sending letters & faxes and writing emails to our representatives so they are forced to pay attention to what they signed into law.
Nany Nord- the number you have been calling- is the acting Head of the CPSC. THis is the agency part of the government that is in charge of implementing and policing the law. She too needs to be flooded with phonecalls as she has direct contact with the Subcommittee. By the way- she was also present when the bill was signed and I think is just as responsible for the lack of oversight.
Washington Office
2416 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-4372
fax: 202-226-0333
District Office
700-706 E. 79th. St.
Chicago, IL 60619
phone: 773-224-6500
fax: 773-224-9624
South Suburban District Office
3235 W. 147th St.
Midlothian, IL. 60445
phone: 708-385-9550
fax: 708-385-3860
PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION NOW!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040.html
I'm sorry to be such a pain but if we could get everyone who is posting on this site to sign my petition for the reformation of CPSIA we'd have something to show the politicians.
Rest assured that the petition is safe, you only need to leave you name and a comment if you wish. I have posted the petition and I am the author of http://www.ReformCPSIA.org. If you have any concerns about signing the petition email me at dlapolla@gmail.com.
I have spoken with Congressman Lungren's Staff and we are trying to put together a meeting to brainstorm this issue and I want to be able to present this petition to Congressman Lungren as well as other important members of the CPSC and the Small Business Committee. These groups are key in getting the reform we want on this Act!
ACT NOW!!!! Sign the PETITION! You have NOTHING to LOOSE and EVERYTHING TO GAIN!
Help us keep childern's products safe and American businesses in business!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040.html
Pass this on everyone!
Sincerely,
Dawn Michelle LaPolla
From the December 23rd LA Times:
The toy alliance is hoping to get Congress to revise the law to exempt manufacturers who make children's items exclusively using natural products such as wood and cotton, or to allow them to test those raw materials instead of the finished products.
"Don't count on that," said Sharon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for Rush, the congressman.
"Nobody likes to tighten up," she said. "But the law is the law, and the standards aren't going to be changed."
On January 6th, Bloomberg.com quoted Julie Vallesse of the CPSC :
“The agency is aware that this one-size-fits-all law doesn’t necessarily fit all sectors,” Vallesse said “But the laws are set and Congress was very explicit.”
--------------------
It appears that our representatives in Congress have had time to consider the implications of this horrendous law. Here is one very encouraging example:
http://handmade-toys.googlegroups.com/attach/47285af2367e93f2/cpsc.kids+clothing.CPSC+LTR.jan+07+09.pdf?gda=RumC WUUAAADlxJ8ye75Yan4kQqwVBkBym8TRjc3Dgz4nWo5jCoXtfb pvrANbQtkLOX4ei8RvWqKO3f1cykW9hbJ1ju6H3kglGu1iLHeq hw4ZZRj3RjJ_-A&gsc=C2MatAsAAAAyKaibmWGcMM2fbp1WCQNP&view=1&part=2