MSU reader Alisa Leonard clued us in to the Consumers Union website which encourages all Americans, not just parents, to contact their senators to pass the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007.
They’ve created a catchy and clever video, but the Consumers Union agrees that toy safety is no laughing matter and offers the following facts:
- This year, more than 25 million toys have been recalled, many for dangerous lead paint.
- 80% of toys are made in China.
- The agency responsible for the safety of more than 15,000 products has only 15 inspectors at ports nationwide and half the staff it had when it was created in the 1970’s.
- Consumers are at a loss about products that may or may not be safe for them and their children.
Click this link to get to the petition you can send to your senators to tell them to vote for the Consumer Product Safety Reform Act of 2007 (S. 2045).
The letter reads:
It’s time to pass S. 2045, the Consumer Product Safety Reform Act of 2007. This bill will give the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) the tools and resources it needs to protect our children and families from dangerous products. S. 2045 deserves your vote as soon as possible.
S. 2045 addresses the current shortcomings of the CPSC, an agency that for too long has been starved of resources, staff, and the right legal authority to keep unsafe products out of the marketplace.
S. 2045 would make the following reforms:
– Require independent testing of children’s toys and products for lead and other safety hazards;
– Lower the permissible level of lead in all toys and children’s products;
– Improve the agency’s ability to disclose important safety information to the public;
– Raise the civil penalties the agency can impose for safety violations from $1.83 million to $100 million;
– Strengthen protections for individuals at companies, and at the CPSC, who blow the whistle on wrongdoing.Please work to keep the bill strong and without weakening amendments that could hinder the CPSC’s ability to protect the public, and especially children, from unsafe products. This would be the best holiday present for all Americans!
This is the last week that petitions can be sent in. Please help us pass this very important bill!
