Senator Amy Klobuchar

Working for the People of Minnesota

Press Contact

Joel Gross
Press Secretary
(202) 224-3244

News Releases

Klobuchar, Durbin Press for New Toy Safety Standards, Reform of Consumer Protection Agency

August 27, 2007

(CHICAGO, IL) – United States Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) held a press conference today where they announced their efforts to unite toy manufacturers and retailers on a series of comprehensive safety standards. The Senators also discussed plans for reforming the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Durbin and Klobuchar held the press conference following days of meetings with leading toy manufacturers and retailers, including a meeting this morning with the CEO of Toys “R” Us, the nation’s largest toy merchant.


“It shouldn’t take a child’s death to alert us to a problem,” said Klobuchar, citing the death of a four-year-old Minnesotan, Jarnell Brown, from ingesting a charm made of 99 percent lead.  “Parents have the right to expect that toys are tested and problems found before they reach a child’s toy box.  We must fix the holes in our regulatory and testing systems that would allow such a hazardous toy into a child’s hands.  My focus would be simple: I don’t want to see these unsafe toys on our shores, in our stores, or in our toy boxes any more.”


This summer, tens of millions of toys have been recalled because they pose a hazard to children. Earlier this year, following a series of investigative reports on unsafe toys by the Chicago Tribune, Durbin began to meet with the CPSC to discuss what it was doing with regards to the safety of imported toys. After additional recalls of Chinese-made products, Durbin met with the Chinese Ambassador and the CPSC to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding on the issue of toy safety.


“What we’re seeing is two different sets of standards that are putting our children at risk,” Durbin said. “China has been trying to calm anxieties by noting that ninety-nine percent of their toys are safe. Ninety-nine percent just won’t do it when we’re talking about the safety of our children. We need an agreement on a set of comprehensive safety standards and a CPSC that is up to the task of protecting consumers rather than diminishing expectations and reducing its role.”


Last week, Durbin met with the CEOs of Mattel and Walgreens and the head of Wal-Mart’s toy division. These meetings were called after a massive recall of Mattel toys last month. Mattel, the nation’s largest toy manufacturer, recalled over 10 million toys nationwide because of lead contamination.  Klobuchar has also met with industry leaders, including Target, one of the nation’s largest retailers.
 

Durbin and Klobuchar are among the leaders in the Senate on consumer safety. Durbin, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, has oversight over the CPSC’s budget. In June he held a field hearing in Chicago on the issue of toy safety where CPSC chairman, Nancy Nord testified.


Klobuchar is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and has joined Durbin in efforts to protect consumers, especially children. In the wake of the death of a Minnesota child from an unsafe toy, she held a community forum in Minnesota to address toy safety. In the coming weeks, working with the CPSC and the industry, Klobuchar plans to introduce a bill that will focus on reforming and streamlining the recall process and giving parents tools to identify recalled toys in their own homes.


Durbin has been active on two bills dealing with product safety this Congress. The first, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, introduced by Durbin last month, will dramatically expand the CPSC’s ability to protect American consumers by increasing the agency’s funding and giving it the regulatory tools and resources it needs to effectively monitor product safety. The second bill is the Children’s Product Safety Act. This bill, introduced by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and cosponsored by Durbin, will require all children’s products to be certified as having met rigorous product safety standards by independent laboratories.

###

Senator Klobuchar’s Offices

302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main Line: 202-224-3244
Main Fax: 202-228-2186
Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043

1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Main Line: 612-727-5220
Main Fax: 612-727-5223
Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043

1134 7th Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Main Line: 507-288-5321
Fax: 507-288-2922

121 4th Street South
Moorhead, MN 56560
Main Line: 218-287-2219
Fax: 218-287-2930

Olcott Plaza, Suite 105
820 9th Street North
Virginia, MN 55792
Main Line: 218-741-9690
Fax: 218-741-3692