Children's Product Safety
One of my key achievements since coming to Congress was the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which became law in 2008. CPSIA represents the most significant improvement in children's product safety and support for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in decades. The law included my provisions to require safety standards and pre-market testing for durable children's products, including cribs, playpens and high chairs, and to ensure children's products come with a postage-paid recall registration card so consumers can be notified by the manufacturer should a problem arise. It also banned lead and dangerous phthalates in children's toys. Through its authority under CPSIA, the CPSC banned dangerous drop-side cribs, which have been linked to more than 30 infant deaths. After years of crib recalls, reports of deaths in unsafe cribs and heel-dragging by the industry, I worked with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Kids in Danger to get recalled cribs off store shelves and out of homes. The CPSIA is now law, and I remain committed to overseeing its strong implementation and to looking for further opportunities to improve the safety of toys and other children's products.
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Welcome to the 118th Congress! In all my years in Congress, I have never experienced a week quite like last week. Instead of fighting for the American people, Republicans spent the week fighting against each other. Now that we finally have a Speaker of the House, and I have officially been sworn in for the 118th Congress, I can finally continue my work on behalf of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
This past week, we held leadership elections for the 118th Congress. I would like to congratulate Minority Leader-designate Hakeem Jeffries, Whip-designate Katherine Clark, and Chairman-designate Pete Aguilar. I have the utmost confidence in our new leaders, who truly epitomize the great diversity of our nation.
As the holiday shopping season begins, we must ensure that toys bring joy, not injury. For 37 years, Illinois PIRG Education Fund has released the Trouble in Toyland report, which has helped shape toy safety regulations since the 1980s. Last week, I attended a press conference at Lurie Children’s Hospital to discuss the findings of the report. Thankfully, since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act became law 14 years ago, the number of dangerous toys has decreased.
WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, applauded their Safe Sleep for Babies Act, which took effect on Saturday, November 12. The law, signed by President Biden in May, bans inclined sleep products and padded crib bumpers, regardless of date of manufacture.
Thank you to the people of Illinois' 9th Congressional District for choosing me, once again, to be your voice in Congress. It is truly an honor! I will continue to fight for a more equitable and just world. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance. Whether it be a Social Security problem, an immigration case, or a postal issue, just to name a few, my office is here to help.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, called on Facebook Marketplace to ensure deadly recalled products are not listed and sold on the platform.
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, applauded the passage of H.R. 3684, the INVEST In America Act. The monumental transportation package included auto safety legislation that will be transformative for the nation.