THE FOUR BILLS STARTED IN STEARNS' COMMERCE, TRADE & CONSUMER PROTECTION SUBCOMMITTEE

Washington, Sep 27, 2007 - "Every day consumer products, such as toys, appliances, and sporting equipment, are involved in more than 25,000 deaths and 33.3 million injuries each year," stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala).  "The Consumer Product Safety Commissions is charged with overseeing the safety of 15,000 consumer products, and I am committed to providing the Commission the tools it needs to protect the public."  Stearns is the Ranking Member of the Commerce, Trade & Consumer Protection Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Stearns joined the House Energy & Commerce Committee today in approving four bills dealing with consumer safety that started in his subcommittee, paving the way for their consideration by the full House.  Stated Stearns, "I believe in holding manufacturers accountable for serious mistakes and intentional violations, but we must be careful to not add a new layer of ineffective regulations that burden our industries and drive American jobs overseas."

The Energy & Commerce Committee approved the following four bills dealing with consumer safety:

H.R. 814, the Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, requires the same child-resistant caps for all gasoline containers, whether sold with gasoline or not.

H.R. 1699, the Danny Kaysar Product Safety Notification Act, requires manufacturers of 12 nursery products (cribs, high chairs, etc.) to provide postage-paid, privacy-protected postcards to allow consumers to register their products by mail.

H.R. 1721, The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Space Safety Act, requires that all drains sold for swimming pools and spas must conform to a specified anti-entrapment standard.

H.R. 2474, the Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act, would increase the cap on civil penalties for knowing product safety violations from the current level of $1.83 million to $10 million.