Tell Congress to fix the product safety bill today!

In August 2008, President Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The act grants the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) new authority, creates new product safety standards and increases criminal and civil penalties for some violations. The law also expands the definition of children’s product to any consumer product designed for or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.

While well intentioned, the implementation of the CPSIA has caused serious damage to all consumer product industries. The short deadlines have not given either the CPSC or industries ample time to digest and carry through these new requirements thereby compromising the product safety regime.

Failure of Congress to act immediately to address this retroactivity problem will lead to bankruptcies of many small New York family-owned companies, about 4000 lost jobs, and millions of dollars of lost inventory.  And this devastation to our family businesses will come without ANY improvement in product safety or public health.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) web pages:

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)

CPSC website on the CPSIA

CPSC Timeline on CPSC Actions Pursuant to the CPSIA