Consumer Product Safety Legislation Clears House of Representatives | News | Congressman Ed Whitfield

News | Congressman Ed Whitfield | United States Representative

Consumer Product Safety Legislation Clears House of Representatives July 30, 2008 WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation today, shaped by Congressman Ed Whitfield (KY-01), which sets unprecedented safety standards for children's toys in the United States and reforms the commission charged with keeping the public safe from potentially harmful or hazardous products.

"Over the past few months, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have come together in the spirit of compromise to craft legislation which will set landmark safety standards to ensure the health and well-being of our nation's most vulnerable," Whitfield said. "I am pleased that I have been able to lend a voice to this discussion and look forward to seeing the President sign this important measure into law."

The House approved the conference report, a revised version of House and Senate legislation, for the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act. Whitfield served as one of only 15 lawmakers on this exclusive conference committee, which worked together to reconcile the bill passed by the House of Representatives last December and the version passed by the Senate in March.

The final version of this consumer safety legislation voted on today will set the toughest lead standard in the world for children's projects and require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to lower allowable lead to only trace amounts, and then task them to revise this standard downward if it is technologically possible. The bill also requires mandatory third party testing for children's products to ensure compliance with CPSC regulations and standards.

In addition, the conference report increases penalties for "bad actors," those who violate current consumer product laws, and increases standards on manufacturers for corrective action plans in the event of a hazardous product threat. The conference report also gives consumers access to a new database of complaints or accident reports for goods.

To strengthen the CPSC, the legislation increases the funding authorization levels for the Commission significantly in the next year and then by approximately seven percent for each of the next four years. These new resources will allow the Commission to hire additional staff and update their laboratory to help them do their job more effectively.

As Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, Whitfield had a powerful voice in shaping this legislation. He worked to ensure that Kentuckians would be protected from hazardous and potentially dangerous products quickly and for the long term.

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