CPSIA Hearing this Thursday!

[CeciLeibovitz]

Hi All-

There will be a hearing regarding CPSIA on Thursday December 2 (tomorrow) in the Senate Commerce sub-committee. See several important links below.

The Handmade Toy Alliance has been invited to testify and represent small batch makers of children's products. Here is a link to the HTA press release with more information:

http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/node/520660

Please share on your blogs, facebook pages and twitter. We want to spread this far and wide! This is an amazing opportunity to discuss what is needed and we are really seeing some momentum growing with both Senate Democrats and Republicans.

Here is the link to the information regarding the witness list:

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=799a2c9d-f48a-4284-add2-1a90...

The hearing will take place this Thursday morning (December 2nd) at 10am EST. Here is the information to view the hearing:
To watch the video cast of the hearing, go to Commerce’s home page:
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Home
Refresh the page ten minutes before the hearing, or right when the hearing is called to order because it will not start streaming automatically.

There is also a possibility that the hearing will be telecast on CSPAN, so be sure to check your local CSPAN channels once the hearing begins.

-Cecilia

[CeciLeibovitz]

For those of you on twitter, there will be live tweets from the hearing at: www.twitter.com/toyalliance

The hashtag #CPSIA will be used, so you can search that.

[happywhosits]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Former_Member]

Awesome, hope it goes well for us.

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Thank you so much.

I'm wondering why this is taking place in the lame duck session though, when committee chairs and members will be changing with the new session in Jan.

[Former_Member]

I watched it, very sad that the comment made about handmade sellers having to close their businesses was that "won't they be closing anyhow because of the economy" - very sad that that is all the consideration we get!

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Wow! which dolt said that?

[JansWearableJoy]

I didn't hear about this until today. Did anything good come from this hearing? Guess I would have heard already if it did!

[Former_Member]

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[CeciLeibovitz]

At this point I think it's too early for any movement. I'm hopeful that some good will come of it though in the coming months. Here's an article from Bloomberg quoting some of the speakers at the hearing including HTA member Jill Chuckas. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-02/u-s-product-safety-law-may-need-to-be-amended-senators-say....

[Former_Member]

There was great representation for handmade and small businesses, and it was clear that some of the Senators and some of the Commissioners have heard and taken on the reasons why we need amendment. If you click on the names here <http://bit.ly/hJsK61> you can read the testimony of Jill Chuckas. You have to watch the video to see her showing a wooden plane and a cloth monster, though. I think I must have been helpful for them to see these specific examples of products that aren't/won't be available anymore because of this law.