Robert P. Casey Jr.
Casey Backing Bill on Safety Imports
September 21, 2007
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Jerome L. Sherman
WASHINGTON -- In the wake of several high profile product recalls, Pennsylvania's Sen. Bob Casey yesterday signed on to a bill that would require all would-be import companies in the United States to prove they can afford to pull faulty foreign goods from the marketplace.
The bill, crafted by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, also would give the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration the power to mandate recalls of foods and products they oversee.
"There hasn't been nearly enough action in Washington to deal with a growing threat," said Mr. Casey, a Democrat.
He cited the example of a van accident near Penn Forest Township, north of Philadelphia, in August 2006, when the tread of a Chinese-made tire allegedly became loose, causing the vehicle to roll over. Two passengers died and one suffered a serious brain injury.
In June of this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Foreign Tire Sales, a New Jersey-based importer, to recall 450,000 Chinese tires. The company initially said it didn't have enough money, but last month it announced a recall of 255,000 tires, estimating a cost of $20 million.
Under the new legislation, importers would have to show that they own insurance to cover such expenses before receiving permission to bring goods from other countries into the U.S.
"We want to import their products, but we don't want to import their lax regulations," Mr. Brown said.
Jeffrey Killino, a Philadelphia lawyer who is representing the van accident victims in a lawsuit against Foreign Tire Sales, said he had written a letter to Mr. Casey to request this legislation.
"They're going to be more safety conscience," he said of importers. "They know that there are consequences."
The Consumer Federation of America expressed support for the bill. Chris Waldrop, director of the federation's Food Policy Institute, said the FDA and the Agriculture Department need recall authority in case a company is reluctant to cooperate.
In the 2006 fiscal year, companies voluntarily pulled 471 products, the largest number in at least a decade, affecting about 124 million individual items, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
NHTSA recently signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the Chinese government to improve the exchange of information on auto safety.
Mr. Brown said he expected his bill to attract widespread support because it relies on a market-based system, meaning reputable importers would be able to find lower insurance rates.
The bill's provisions, if approved, would take full effect after two years.
A spokesman for the Retail Industry Leaders Association declined to comment because members haven't yet had a chance to review the legislation.
