The Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency operating with only 2 of 3 commissioners, continues to fumble through its mission while Congress, consumer advocates and the public swirl around the group in a messy melange of ideas.CPSC staffing levels have dropped through the years to half of where they were when the agency was founded three decades ago. President Bush's attempt last year to fill temporary agency head Nancy Nord's role with a manufacturing lobbyist was met with derision and quickly withdrawn. Nord continues as Acting Chair of the agency while the House of Representatives and Senate consider legislation that would fund the organization to approximately $80 million while giving the group broader powers or potentially entangling the agency's mandate with states rights.
Our issues with the agency's rules are that recalls still remain voluntary and penalties are relatively minor. We support broadening the agency's role while giving informed consumers tools with which they can make good choices. Provisions for consumer databases exist in the Senate's floor bill (S. 2045) while legislation that passed the House calls for mandatory recalls.
"Both the Senate bill and the House bill passed earlier include important safety provisions that will help CPSC's ability to keep our children safe. We hope that the final conference bill will take the strongest language from both and give the agency the funding, staff and teeth they so desperately need," said Nancy Cowles, Director of Kids in Danger.
Kids in Danger has created a safety poster we'll be sharing later this week that shows recently recalled items that place children in harm's way.
In our opinion, neither piece of legislation is the best answer in its current form. Rather than throwing brickbats at the agency itself, we hope lawmakers will take a fresh look at this legislation and all safety issues.
Problems with jurisdiction already exist at the federal level. Complicating the matter by involving state Attorney Generals might be a recipe for more dangerous products being sold for longer periods of time. Other consumer advocates feel differently, but ultimately, this is more than an issue of stalled legislation. Consumer safety crosses race, gender and economic lines.
Labels: CPSC, KidsinDanger.org, legislation, safety
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