|
|
Press Releases |
For Immediate Release
03/06/08
Contact: |
Rob Blumenthal w/Inouye 202-224-8374
Jenilee Keefe w/Inouye 202-224-7824
|
|
Email This
Print This
|
|
|
Inouye Commends Passage of Consumer Product Safety Bill
|
|
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) issued the followed statement today prior to final passage of S. 2663, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act.
“Mr. President, I rise today in support of S. 2663, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act. The leadership of Senators Pryor and Stevens in negotiating this bipartisan compromise bill allows the legislation before the Senate today to move an important but beleaguered agency in the right direction. S. 2663 authorizes the appropriate level of resources and provides the new authorities necessary for the agency to do the job it was created to do: protect consumers.
“Mr. President, today the CPSC is broken. It is broken from years of neglect coupled with a growth in volume and complexity of products and from a dysfunctional Commission. Year after year, this agency is subjected to budget cuts and forced attrition of personnel. Today, it has less than half the budget and half the staff it had in its inaugural year of 1973. As a result, the CPSC is no longer properly equipped to carry out its essential mission of monitoring the marketplace and enforcing product safety standards. Making matters even more difficult, the number of products under its jurisdiction has grown exponentially in size and complexity.
“The Commission is responsible for the safety of more than 15,000 products, including everything from infant cribs to computer components. Most of these products are safe. However, those that are not safe can be deadly. Each year, more than 28,000 Americans die and an additional 33 million are injured by consumer products. To say these numbers are much too high is an understatement. We must have an effective CPSC, one with increased funding, staff, and authority, to reduce these losses.
“This bill addresses the weaknesses of our nation’s product safety system in several ways, but I would like to highlight some of the essential changes. S. 2663 puts the responsibilities of product safety squarely on the government’s shoulders. First, the Act authorizes needed resources over a seven year period to provide the agency the manpower and the technology it needs to police a complex global marketplace. The Act would restore the CPSC to a full complement of five Commissioners to maintain continuity and to avoid the losses of quorum that have plagued the agency in recent years.
“To help buttress the resources needed to monitor the market and keep consumers safe, the Act would authorize State attorneys general to bring civil actions to seek injunctive relief for clear violations of statutes enforced by the CPSC. Creating a joint enforcement relationship with the States has proven to be successful in the area of consumer protection, and this collaboration would provide the CPSC a partner to protect American families in a meaningful way.
“S. 2663 also would require manufacturers to use independent labs to test children’s products and to certify their compliance with mandatory safety standards, including the mandatory toy safety standard established in the Act. This new toy standard would provide the CPSC and industry with a fast, flexible way to address emerging hazards. It will serve to protect children from dangers such as strangulation, intestinal perforation or blockage hazards.
“While new authority and regulatory structure is needed for this agency, providing accurate and up-to-date information about product hazards to Americans would allow consumers to help themselves and make better decisions about the products they buy. In order to help consumers, S. 2663 would create a database of information from non-industry sources, such as hospitals, child care providers, public safety agencies, as well as consumer reports about product hazards collected by the CPSC itself. This database would provide consumers with potentially life-saving information, in an organized fashion, which would better equip them to assess product safety risks and hazards.
“Finally, this legislation would allow the CPSC to share product information with governments around the world. Since our economy is global, faulty products do not just end up in our homes but in homes around the world. By reaching out to and coordinating with other countries, the ability of the CPSC to interdict and keep unsafe products off of store shelves would be improved.
“Mr. President, unfortunately, some members in this chamber believe that regardless of the dire picture supporters of this bill have painted as it relates to the lack of resources and existing authorities, last year’s ‘summer of recalls’ proves that the Commission is working just fine.
“These members may site statistics showing that in 2007, the agency announced 231 children’s product recalls, of which 58 were toys. They will point out that last year set a record for the most toy recalls in a single year. However, anyone who understands the Agency and the work that it does will know that in fact, this statistic is further evidence of the need to reform the CPSC.
“Specifically, the slow nature of the current recall process left more than 46 million recalled items in the stream of commerce, including millions of toys sitting on store shelves, waiting to be sold to unsuspecting parents. I think it is safe to say that in the opinion of parents, this is a system failure. Unfortunately, the prospects for 2008 look much the same. The agency has already announced 40 voluntary toy recalls. At this pace, the number of recalls announced this year will surpass all records. However, these recalls are voluntary, not mandatory. Further, many of the recalls were not the result of a proactive agency; rather, they were the response of a reactive agency to an investigation conducted by members of the press. That is not how government should work.
“S. 2663 reflects a good bipartisan compromise led by Senators Pryor and Stevens. Children are dying and suffering grievous injuries because of unsafe products. This bipartisan bill is a good step forward in our effort to keep harmful products off of store shelves.
“For America’s families, and especially for America’s children, I urge my colleagues to support this meaningful consumer safety legislation.”
###
|
|
|
|
|
27th - |
Aviation Subcommittee to Examine Aviation Safety
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security will hold an Aviation Safety Oversight Hearing on April 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
Although the U.S. aviation industry is experiencing its safest period in history there have been a series of high-profile events that have raised concerns regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ove...
|
|
|
27th - |
Senate Commerce Committee Announces April 2 Markup
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces an Executive Session for Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
During the Executive Session, Committee members will markup the following agenda items:
1. S. 2688, the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act
2. S.J. Res 28,...
|
|
|
26th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Date and Time Change for Phantom Traffic Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today that the Full Committee hearing on Phantom Traffic has been rescheduled from April 10, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. to April 23, 2008, at 2:30 p.m.
The hearing will examine concerns regarding traffic over telephone networks that is sent without identifying information used for intercarrier billing pu...
|
|
|
26th - |
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez Remarks while in Fairbanks, Alaska
- Below are U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez remarks to the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce in Fairbanks, Alaska
Thank you Senator Stevens. No matter the weather, the reception that you and your fellow Alaskans extend to me on my trips here are always warm.
Alaska is well represented in Washington with Senators Stevens and (Lisa) Murkowski and Congressman (Don) Young. They&...
|
|
|
14th - |
Commerce Committee to Hold Climate Change Field Hearing in Honolulu
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) announces a full Committee field hearing on Climate Change Impacts and the Reponses in Island Communities for March 19, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Islands have unique characteristics that make them especially vulnerable to climate change and variability. Given thi...
|
|
|
14th - |
U.S. Senate Confirms DOC, Amtrak Nominations and CG, NOAA Promotions
-
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate unanimously approved nominees reported from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation early this morning for positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Board of Directors, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The confirmations include:
...
|
|
|
|
|
12th - |
Commerce Committee Postpones NOAA Hearing
-
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has postponed its Thursday, March 13th Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee oversight hearing on The Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The hearing has been postponed due to a series of votes that are anticipated on Thursday....
|
|
|
12th - |
Commerce Committee Postpones Hearing to Review the Financial State of the Airline Industry
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has postponed its Thursday, March 13th Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on The Financial State of the Airline Industry.
The hearing has been postponed due to a series of votes that are anticipated on Thursday. A new date and time will be announced when available.
|
|
|
11th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Phantom Traffic Sent Over Telephone Networks
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Phantom Traffic scheduled for April 10, 2008, at 10 a.m.
The hearing will examine concerns regarding traffic over telephone networks that is sent without identifying information used for intercarrier billing purposes.
Phantom Traffic
Full Committee
Date: Thursday,...
|
|
|
10th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Hearing on the Financial State of the Airline Industry
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today the witnesses for an Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on The Financial State of the Airline Industry for March 13, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. The witnesses are listed below.
After posting nearly $35 billion in cumulative net losses from 2001 through 2005, U.S. air carr...
|
|
|
|
|
7th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Full Committee Hearing on International Fisheries
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing for Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., on International Fisheries: Management and Enforcement.
The hearing will focus on international fisheries issues, including Regional Fisheries Management Councils (RFMO’s), compliance reporting and enforcement on the high sea...
|
|
|
|
|
7th - |
Senate Passes Bipartisan Children’s Safety Legislation Sponsored by Pryor, Stevens and Inouye
- WASHINGTON D.C. – The United States Senate today passed bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK), Senate Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to protect children and consumers from dangerous toys and products. Senator Pryor and Vice Chairman Stevens worked together to craft...
|
|
|
6th - |
current Press Release |
|
|
6th - |
Pryor, Stevens, Inouye, Collins Score Victory for Consumer Safety
- WASHINGTON D.C. –The Senate today passed legislation sponsored by Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK), Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) that will protect children and consumers from toxic toys and other dangerous products.
Pryor applauded Senate passage of the Consumer Product Saf...
|
|
|
6th - |
Commerce Committee Reschedules DTV Transition Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation rescheduled today a Full Committee hearing on U.S. readiness for the nationwide transition from analog television broadcasting to digital television (DTV) broadcasting. The hearing is set for Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at 2:30 p.m.
With the transition less than a year away – set for February 17, 2009 &nd...
|
|
|
6th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Hearing to Review the Financial State of the Airline Industry
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today an Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on The Financial State of the Airline Industry for March 13, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
After posting nearly $35 billion in cumulative net losses from 2001 through 2005, U.S. air carriers have been able to return to profitability over...
|
|
|
6th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Rescheduled DOC Deputy Secretary Nomination Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a rescheduled date for a Full Committee Nomination Hearing for John J. Sullivan, nominated to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.
Nomination Hearing
Full Committee
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2008
Time: 2:00 p...
|
|
|
5th - |
Witnesses Announced for GDP Calculation Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced today the witness for an Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on the calculation of the gross domestic product (GDP). The witnesses are listed below.
At this hearing, Rethinking the Gross Domestic Product as a Measurement of National Strength, the subcommittee will examine ...
|
|
|
5th - |
Stevens Presents Young Alaskan with National 9-1-1 Award
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night during a ceremony sponsored by the E9-1-1 Institute, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, presented four-year old North Pole, Alaska resident Tony Sharpe with a national award for saving his mother’s life.
“This year’s Citizen in Action award goes to a remarkable young...
|
|
|
5th - |
Stevens Sponsors Bill to make April 2008 “National 9-1-1 Education Month” [ Audio Clip ]
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today spoke in support of the nation’s 9-1-1 system and the need to properly educate our nation’s citizens about its use. During the statement, Senator Stevens told the story of 4-year-old Tony Sharpe, an Alaskan resident who dialed 9-1-1 when his mother lost consciousness during a gall bladder attack, essentially saving her life...
|
|
|
4th - |
Inouye and Stevens Introduce Seafood Safety Legislation
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today introduced a bill that would expand the National Marine Fisheries Service Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) to ensure that seafood products commercially distributed in the United States are fit for consumption.
“According to t...
|
|
|
4th - |
Inouye: Americans Must be Confident in the Safety of Their Seafood
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement day after introducing a bill that would help ensure that seafood products commercially distributed in the United States are fit for consumption.
“Mr. President. I rise today to introduce the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act. I am j...
|
|
|
3rd - |
Stevens’ Statement in Support of Bipartisan CPSC Reform Legislation
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today made the following statement in support of legislation to improve and reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Vice Chairman Stevens worked with Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) recently to intr...
|
|
|
3rd - |
Stevens Cosponsors Bill to Assist Rural TV Stations with DTV Transition
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today signed on as a cosponsor of S. 2607. The purpose of the bill is to better facilitate the digital television (DTV) transition for rural Americans. It would do so by making funds available sooner for digital upgrades to low power television stations and tra...
|
|
|
3rd - |
NOAA Administrator to Testify at Agency Budget Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced an oversight hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Subcommittee will hear testimony from Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), the NOA...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|