COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE MARKUP ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY LEGISLATIONSeptember 27, 2007The first five bills before us work to improve the public’s health on a diverse range of issues.
Next the Committee will consider four bills reported by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. All four bills help protect children from hazardous consumer products that can maim or kill. These bills serve as a prelude to more comprehensive legislation to improve product safety and strengthen the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). One bill, H.R. 814, will help prevent burns from gasoline cans. Another bill, H.R. 1721, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, will reduce instances of drowning caused by dangerous swimming pool drains. Still another bill, H.R. 1699, will improve the effectiveness of recalls for cribs and other nursery furniture – this bill is especially timely, given the recent CPSC recall of one million cribs, linked to the deaths of at least three babies. And finally, H.R. 2474 will put more teeth in CPSC enforcement by increasing the cap on civil penalties over 5 times its current level, up to $10 million. All four bills enjoyed bipartisan support and received unanimous approval in subcommittee. I commend my colleagues on both sides of the dais for working in a bipartisan manner to bring these important public health and consumer protection bills to the full Committee. |
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