Every week, 2,000 - 3,000 Second District residents write to me about the issues pending before Congress, and I work hard to respond to each person as promptly and thoughtfully as possible.  On this "Letter of the Week" blog, I highlight constituent letters that are of general interest.  If you'd like to share your own views, please feel free to e-mail me at any time!

Dear Nancy,

The recent flood of unsafe Chinese imports into the U.S.--contaminated pet food, toxic toothpaste, lead-laden toys, hazardous tires, contaminated seafood, and unsafe electrical items--clearly shows that we are not stopping unsafe products at our borders.

It's time to pass legislation to hold manufacturers, importers and retailers to a higher standard and effectively enforce that standard.

Companies don't always know if products manufactured overseas are safe--unless they inspect them first. Companies must hire independent, government certified inspectors to ensure that imports meet U.S. safety standards. Products should be tested in the foreign factories and at our ports--before they wind up on U.S, shelves. And retailers must be required to remove all recalled products from shelves promptly, post prominent recall notices, and spot check products for safety. The retailer is the last stop before a product goes in my cart and must play a role in assuring my family's safety.

The U.S. limited the lead in paint in 1978 and in jewelry in 2005--yet millions of lead-painted toys have been recalled in just the past three months. Last year, a child died after swallowing a small lead trinket. Although we know that lead is very toxic, the U.S. does not currently ban lead in all toys. How many more such items may still be sitting in stores around the country with nothing to warn a parent of the danger?

Today's testing and inspection programs for products aren't working. We need higher standards and more enforcement to ensure the safety of our products. If importers, distributors, and retailers were held accountable for product safety, the nature of the way they do business would change dramatically.

But we won't be able to enforce higher standards with the weakened federal infrastructure we have today. Food recalls today are "voluntary" so the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to negotiate its recall requests with companies, wasting time while people like me continue to buy up the tainted food. We need to be sure that the government can demand the quick removal of unsafe products from the shelves.

U.S. imports from foreign countries nearly doubled since 2000, while the funding for food and product inspection agencies went  down or stayed the same. Compared to when it opened its doors in 1973, today's Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is half its original size in both staff and resources. Today's FDA manages to inspect only one percent of all food imports! With so little enforcement, companies that want to risk importing shoddy, unsafe products know they may well get away with it. We
can do better.

Please help restore my confidence in the safety of the items in
my cart.

- Bradley in Lawrence, KS

Dear Bradley,

Thank you for contacting me about the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  We must do all we can to ensure that the products that enter our country and that we use on a daily basis meet the highest standards of safety.  I appreciate this chance to tell you about some of the work being done in Congress on this topic.

Recently, there have been a lot of news stories about recalls and safety inspections that are less than rigorous.  Some of the biggest stories in the news are about the safety of children’s toys.  On October 11, 2007, the Washington Post reported that “Marvel Entertainment stopped shipments after the Center for Environmental Health, a private watchdog group, said a Curious George doll bought from Toys R Us had more than 10 times the legal maximum of lead paint.”  That same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the recall of several children’s toys that had higher than acceptable levels of lead including: collectible Jeff Gordon helmets, bendable dinosaur sets, and a Winnie the Pooh play set. 

Most folks know that lead can cause serious health problems, especially in children.  As a mother, I know that kids are constantly putting toys and fingers in their mouths, which means they’re exposed to lead even more than adults.  We have to work to make sure that there aren’t toys out there that could harm our children’s physical and mental development.  The CPSC is designed to do just that. 

While the CPSC does a good job, there is more that Congress can do to help.  One of the problems is that the CPSC does not receive the resources it needs.  Last year the CPSC received about $62.7 million.  This year I voted to increase funding for the CPSC by $4.1 million, which is more than the President requested, so that the CPSC can hire more inspectors and prosecutors.  Congress should also strengthen the authority and mandate of the CPSC.

I hope you’ll be pleased to know that I am a cosponsor of the Safety Reassurance for Every (SAFE) Consumer Product Act (H.R. 3691).  This legislation will increase and improve the work of the CPSC by:

• Banning lead in children’s products;
• Requiring children’s products to undergo independent third-party testing;
• Expanding civil and criminal penalties for those that violate these policies;
• Enhancing CPSC recall and inspection authority;
• Expediting recall disclosure to the public;
• Advocating the president to fill Commission vacancies; and,
• Providing additional resources to the CPSC.

During National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 21-27) we must do everything we can to raise awareness about the dangers of lead, particularly for children.  We must also reaffirm our commitment to keeping our children safe.  During this week, I’d encourage you to find out more about what you can do.  The CDC provides excellent resources at their website: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/.

Thank you again for writing to me.  I will continue to work to make sure that our children – our future – are as healthy and happy as possible.  Please make sure to keep in touch with me in the future about this or any other topic.

Sincerely,

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress