Schakowsky Statement on Toy Safety Bill Becoming Law

SCHAKOWSKY STATEMENT ON TOY SAFETY BILL BECOMING LAW

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, released the following statement today after President Bush signed H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, into law. The new law, which reauthorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), includes several provisions offered by Congresswoman Schakowsky, including mandatory standards and testing for infant and toddler products such as cribs and high chairs, postage-paid recall registration cards that must be attached to products and mandatory toy safety standards and testing. H.R. 4040 passed the House by a vote of 424 to 1 on July 30, 2008.

"Every child in America will be safer now that the CPSC bill has become law. The new law will make sure that our children are no longer used as test dummies because children's toys and products will have to be pre-tested and meet higher standards. For far too long, the CPSC has been underfunded, understaffed and ineffective in stopping dangerous products from making their way into our homes. Under this new law, the CPSC will finally have the resources and personnel it needs to protect our children from dangerous toys and products. This new law will also give parents the peace of mind to know that the products they purchase will no longer harm their children. As a mother and grandmother, I'm proud that we were able to work together to protect our children from unsafe products by creating the strongest product safety reforms in recent history....