Robert P. Casey Jr.
Casey details holiday wishes
December 21, 2007
Source: Scranton Times-Tribune
By Robert Swift
HARRISBURG — By the lights of the Capitol Christmas tree, Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and labor leaders called Thursday for action at the federal and state levels to protect children from unsafe toys.
The event was organized by a statewide fair-trade coalition to highlight the connections between international trade deals, the relocation of toy production overseas and the recent safety recalls of popular toys. The coalition timed the event for the peak when parents are purchasing toys for children as holiday gifts. Mr. Casey, D-Pa., focused his remarks on the need to hire new inspectors at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate complaints about imported toys as well as other consumer products.
The number of inspectors has dropped from 1,000 to 400 in recent years, and this has exacerbated problems with unsafe toys appearing on store shelves, he said.
Mr. Casey supports congressional legislation mandating that the commission hire new inspectors, but he pointed out that President Bush could put more inspectors on the job immediately by issuing an executive order.
“I think the president right now has the power to hire people,” said Mr. Casey. “He should do that.”
To follow up his call, Mr. Casey sent a letter to commission chairwoman Nancy Nord asking if the agency has any plans to have more operators answering complaint hot lines and inspect more toys from nations with a history of contaminated toys.
At the state level, Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, called for action on his legislation to mandate that stores remove all recalled toys from shelves.
Event organizers made it clear that in their view free-trade deals have created an imported toy crisis. The trade deals lead to the importation of products from nations with little or no protections for consumers, the environment and workers’ rights, said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George.
