HOMEPAGE > NEWSROOM

Press Release

For Immediate Release
July 30, 2008
Contact: Sean C. Bonyun
(202) 225-3761

Consumer Safety Package with Upton Recall Measure to Save Kids’ Lives Clears Final Hurdle
Upton’s child safety measure overhauls the current recall registration system for children’s products – Measure will head to President to be signed into law upon Senate approval

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States House of Representatives tonight gave its final approval to broad, bipartisan consumer safety legislation, H.R. 4040, which included Congressman Fred Upton’s (R-St. Joseph) measure to overhaul the current recall registration system for children’s products.  Upton and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) coauthored the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, named after a 17-month old from Chicago who died when the portable crib he had been napping in at his babysitter’s home collapsed – the child’s caregivers were all unaware that the portable crib had been recalled 5 years earlier.  The Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, which initially passed the House in December, establishes consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children’s products.  The measure overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 424 to 1 - upon approval by the Senate, the measure will head to the President to be signed into law.

“Today, the House sent a message to parents across the nation that they unequivocally deserve the peace of mind that the toys and products they are purchasing for their kids are safe,” said Upton.  “The numerous headlines regarding lead in children’s toys were heard loud and clear, and we said ‘enough is enough’ and passed the toughest lead standard for toys in the world.  We also took the necessary steps to ensure that the public is adequately notified when a recall is issued for children’s products - a commonsense measure that will save the lives of countless children in Michigan and across the nation.” 

The overall consumer safety package implements a graduated reduction of lead standards, reaching 100 parts per million, a level unmatched anywhere in the world. The bill also requires manufacturers to include tracking labels to aid in the event of a recall on all toys intended for children ages 12 and younger, and to mandate third party testing of toys with lead by labs accredited by the CPSC. Additionally, the CPSC’s budget would increase from $80 million in FY 08 to an authorization of $118 million in FY 10 and the Commission would receive $20 million to modernize its testing laboratory.

Upton’s bipartisan measure that was included in the safety package requires that each durable infant and toddler product – such as high chairs, cribs, and strollers – come with a postage-paid recall registration card attached to the product to ensure consumers are promptly notified of any product defects.  It also requires manufacturers maintain a record of registered consumer contact information to improve the effectiveness of product recalls and require the manufacturer’s name, contact information, model name and number, and the date of manufacture on each durable infant or toddler product.

“We are all too familiar with tragic scenarios that have unfolded solely because word was not spread regarding a product recall – young lives senselessly lost in situations that could have easily been avoided,” said Upton.  “How can a recall be effective if the public is not adequately alerted?  The current system is a veritable game of Russian roulette.  This is an issue where lives hang in the balance, and this common-sense measure takes the necessary steps to prevent future tragedies.” 

Under current law, companies are not required to include recall registration cards on durable products, except for car seats.  If the media does not report a recall, parents have virtually no way of knowing that a certain product is dangerous.  If the media does report a recall, parents must be fortunate enough to be tuned to the right television or radio station at the exact time of the report or pick up the right newspaper on the precise day to learn out about the recall.  Upton’s measure takes the chance out of the notification process and ensures every product owner is promptly alerted to any recall or product defect. 

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