Press Release

HOUSE PASSES CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION

Washington, DC -- Today, U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) joined a bi-partisan majority in the House of Representatives in support of the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act (H.R. 4040) to make toys safer and protect consumers.

“At any time of the year, and especially over the holiday season, parents shouldn’t have to worry about toxic toys,” Arcuri said. “This legislation responds to the toy safety crisis, creates the toughest lead standard in the world for children’s products and helps ensure consumers know when products are recalled.”

The Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, which passed the House of Representatives today, bans lead beyond a minute amount in products intended for children under 12, mandates third-party testing of children’s products and requires mandatory safety standards for products like cribs and high chairs.

The legislation also requires new labels to aid in the recall of children’s products and prohibits companies from exporting products that have been recalled or violate product safety rules.

Finally, the legislation strengthens the currently underfunded and understaffed Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The bill significantly increases CPSC resources to hire additional staff and for laboratory renovations, including $20 million to modernize the testing lab.  The legislation also creates a new power for the CPSC to immediately share information about dangerous products with the public and ensures state public health agencies are kept informed.

Currently, the CPSC is severely understaffed – having lost, and failed to replace, 15 percent of its workforce since 2004. Additionally, CPSC presently only employs one full-time toy tester.

“For too long, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has failed to protect American consumers,” Arcuri said. “I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that the federal government is doing its job, informing parents of potential hazards and keeping unsafe toys off the shelves.”

This November, at West Frankfort Elementary School, Arcuri joined the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) to release NYPIRG’s annual toy safety survey and highlight legislation cosponsored by Arcuri to strengthen and improve the Consumer Product Safety Commission, increase lead testing, and expand criminal penalties for producers of hazardous toys.

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