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| Press Releases |
For Immediate Release
02/15/08
| Contact: |
Rob Blumenthal w/Inouye 202-224-8374
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991
Brian Eaton w/Stevens 202-224-0445
Jenilee Keefe w/Inouye 202-224-7824
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Pryor, Stevens, Inouye Reach Compromise on Bipartisan Children’s Safety Legislation
Bill Emphasizes Resources, Testing, Disclosure & Accountability |
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WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK), and Senate Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) today announced a bipartisan agreement to protect children and consumers from dangerous toys and products. Pryor and Stevens reached an agreement they believe will lead to swift, bipartisan passage of the bill within the next few weeks.
“I am pleased that Senator Pryor, Chairman Inouye and I have reached an agreement on a bipartisan bill to better protect American consumers,” said Vice Chairman Stevens. “This is especially important because of the recent concerns surrounding toy safety. This measure will do more to ensure that toys and other products sold in this country are safe so that our children and all Alaskans are protected. I will continue to work with Senator Pryor and Chairman Inouye to pass this important bipartisan legislation as soon as possible.”
“This legislation allows the CPSC to fight back against the tide of dangerous toys and products flooding our markets today,” Pryor said. “It infuses the agency with new resources, imposes testing requirements on children’s products, and arms the public with faster information when a potential problem emerges. Most of all, the safeguards in this bill should give parents piece of mind that they aren’t buying the next deathtrap disguised as a toy.”
“I want to especially thank Senator Stevens for his leadership and wisdom throughout this process. I also want to thank Senator Inouye for his support and guidance. This bipartisan agreement would have not happened without their vision and commitment to working together and setting an example for all of us to follow,” Pryor added.
“I would like to thank Senators Pryor and Stevens for their efforts to produce a bipartisan bill,” said Chairman Inouye. “It is my hope that we can move this legislation forward expeditiously.”
Pryor and Stevens said the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act will rebuild and reinvigorate the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is the federal agency charged with overseeing the safety of approximately 15,000 consumer products, including toys. The legislation will empower the agency to better protect consumers and their families from unsafe products and meet the challenges of today’s economy. Key elements of the legislation emphasize resources, product testing, disclosure and accountability.
Highlights of the legislation would:
- Funding: Authorize funding levels for 7 years starting at $88.5 million in 2009 and increasing at a rate of 10 percent per year through 2015. For 2009 and 2010, an additional $40 million would be authorized to upgrade CPSC’s laboratories and $1 million would be authorized to research the safety of nanotechnology in products;
- Civil Fines: Increase the civil fine penalty cap up to $20 million from the current level of $1.8 million;
- Criminal Penalties: Increase criminal penalties to 5 years in jail for those who knowingly and willingly violate product safety laws;
- Testing: Require third party safety certification of children’s products. Upon CPSC approval, proprietary labs will be allowed to test products if they would provide equal or greater consumer protection than the manufacturer’s use of a third party lab. Makes mandatory current toy safety standards promulgated by ASTM International, an independent standard-setting organization, and requires that toys be certified to the standards;
- Labeling: Require manufacturers to label children’s products with tracking information useful to consumers and retailers in identifying recalled products;
- Lead: Ban lead in all children’s products;
- Quorum: Allow a 2-member quorum to conduct official business for 9 months. The CPSC currently is without a quorum and cannot conduct business that requires Commission action such as a mandatory recall. Restores the Commission to five members instead of three members to prevent future absences of quorum;
- Attorneys General: Allow state Attorneys General to obtain injunctive relief on behalf of its residents to enforce product safety laws;
- Whistleblower Protections: Provide whistleblower protections for employees of manufacturers, retailers, importers, and government employees to shed light on any problems along the supply chain;
- Recalled Products: Make it unlawful for retailers to sell a recalled product;
- Rulemaking Process: Streamline the product safety rulemaking process to be more timely by eliminating a mandatory “Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” step; and
- Public Disclosure: Establish a database to include any reports of injuries, illness, death or risk related to consumer products submitted by consumers, local, State or national government agencies, child care providers, physicians, hospitals, coroners, first responders, and the media. Allows the CPSC to expedite the disclosure of industry provided information in the interest of public health and safety.
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| 18th - |
Senator Hutchison Calls for Improved Bus Safety Standards
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today called for improved safety of over-the-road buses and enhanced National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations governing bus safety during a Senate Surface Transportation Subco...
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| 18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for DTV Transition Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Oversight of the DTV Transition: Countdown to February 2009, scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The full witness list is below.
With February 17, 2009 less than five months away, the Committee will assess the Federal Communication...
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| 18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade Imbalance Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the upcoming Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on The Imbalance in U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade, scheduled for September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. A full witness list is below.
The hearing will examine the reasons for the imbalance in U.S.-Korea bilateral ...
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| 17th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Consumer Privacy Issues Related to Broadband Service Providers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Broadband Providers and Consumer Privacy, scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
The Committee will examine broadband provider practices with respect to consumer privacy.
Broadband Providers and Consumer PrivacyFull CommitteeDate: Thursday, Septemb...
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| 16th - |
Senator Hutchison Commends Dept. of Commerce for Helping Nursing Homes with DTV Converter Box Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez for allowing residents with post office boxes and those living in nursing homes to participate in the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program. Previously, only residents with physical addresses could participate. This meant that those who ...
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| 16th - |
Inouye Calls for Immediate Passage of S.1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on why broadband matters.
“In our hearing today we explore why broadband matters. Broadband matters because broadband communications have become the great economic engine of our time. Broadband deployment drives opportunities for business, education, ...
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| 16th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Bus Safety Hearing
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee to Hear Testimony from Corporation for Public Broadcasting Nominees
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee to Review Progress of DTV Transition with FCC, NTIA
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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| 11th - |
Commerce Committee Releases MARAD Bill Financial Disclosure Certification
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today filed its report on S. 2997, the Maritime Administration Act for Fiscal Year 2009. In accordance with Senate Rule XLIV, the Committee provides the attached financial disclosure certification.
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| 11th - |
Commerce Committee Cancels Hearing to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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| 10th - |
Senator Hutchison Cosponsors Calling Card Legislation to Help Consumers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today signed on as a cosponsor to legislation that would assist consumers with pre-paid calling cards and ensure that fees and terms are easier to understand. The bill, S. 2998, would require pre-paid calling card providers and distributors to disclose the numbe...
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| 9th - |
Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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| 8th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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| 8th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Prepaid Calling Card Hearing
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