I wrote to my US Senator about CPSIA and was disappointed

[Former_Member]

So I tried to do my part and write to my senator. I was excited when I saw that I got a response...until I read it. It pretty much ignores any arguements that I made and looks like it is a boiler plate response...probably responded to by an intern!

Thank you for contacting me regarding consumer product safety. I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

Recent recalls of various consumer products, especially children’s toys, have prompted a review of how Americans are protected against faulty products. Created in 1972, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the independent agency of the federal government charged with protecting Americans against the unreasonable risk of injuries associated with consumer products. The CPSC fulfills its mission by researching potential hazards associated with consumer products, banning dangerous consumer products, developing voluntary and mandatory standards, and issuing recalls of products already on the market. This agency has the authority to regulate the sale and manufacture of more than 15,000 different consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals.

To address the concerns raised by these recalls, the Senate and the House of Representatives developed separate plans to enhance the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ability to ensure our nation’s consumer product safety. In the Senate, S. 2045, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007, was introduced by Senator Mark L. Pryor (D-AR) on September 12, 2007. H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, was introduced by Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) on November 1, 2007.

Between March and July 2008, I worked on the bills as a member of a conference committee between the House and the Senate. At the end of July, we came to a compromise, which passed the House and Senate on July 30 and 31, respectively. The President signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 into law on August 14, 2008.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act includes a five-year reauthorization of the CPSC and provides more than $620 million for the agency to implement new rules, buy new equipment, and modernize its labs. Additionally, this funding will be used to increase the CPSC personnel to at least 500 from 367, and it will place additional inspectors at ports of entry and in foreign countries to inspect manufacturing facilities.

According to the CPSC, paint and similar surface coatings of children's toys containing lead have historically been the most commonly recognized sources of lead poisoning. Currently, paint and other similar surface coatings that contain more than 600 parts per million (PPM) lead are banned by the CPSC. Under the new law, the allowable amount of lead in paint is reduced further in coming years, and the lead ban is expanded to regulate the surface of the products as well as the paint. Currently, when the CPSC orders a recall, they will not announce it publicly for 30 days to permit manufacturers an opportunity to address the concerns of the CPSC and to prevent certain proprietary information from being released. The final measure that we agreed to cuts this time period in half to 15 days, in order to allow information to reach the public more quickly.

Should a manufacturer be found guilty of violating consumer product safety laws, the bill we passed provides for an increase in the cap on civil penalties that can be levied against the manufacturer and provides expanded criminal liability. As an additional enforcement tool, the measure allows individual State Attorneys General to bring actions against manufacturers for violations of certain federal consumer product safety laws. The coordination between the state Attorneys General and the CPSC means that we will have a greatly enhanced monitoring and enforcement framework to protect the public against dangerous products, and to enforce recall orders once they are issued, by making sure that retailers are promptly removing the dangerous products from their shelves.

As a mother of two young children, I empathize with parents who are anxious to protect their kids against unsafe products. As a U.S. Senator, I must also ensure that federal laws do not go further than necessary when attempting to guarantee the safety of consumer products. I believe this bill struck a good balance between these goals, and I will continue to work to protect our children from unsafe products.

I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

[Former_Member]

The greater majority of us got form letters...

[LaurieRyan]

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5989149
here go to this thread and this link and do this instead. sc....... that jerk sorry over the DC jerks

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Almost word for word the boilerplate letter that they are all sending out. Only a few actually got letters that showed that the original letter was read. Sad, isn't it?

[FlairMare]

That's disheartening...but DON'T GIVE UP!!

Keep on bugging them, and bugging them, and bugging them!

Let them know we are not going to just go away!

[Former_Member]

I think the tide is turning and they will be eating those boilerplate letters for Valentines Day

[GriffithGardens]

I also got form letters back basically patting themselves on the back for passing the bill. It's like they didn't even read the email I sent!!!

[Former_Member]

I didn't even get a reply!

It's obvious that your Senator is unaware of the controversy surrounding this law, else she would have edited her canned reply. Personally, I would call her out on it. The CPSC is deluged with comments/complaints right now and its public affairs director (Julie Vallese) has resigned. This is building up a lot of momentum in the media, too.

Hutchinson's statement "I must also ensure that federal laws do not go further than necessary when attempting to guarantee the safety of consumer products" is completely false.

[Former_Member]

I was unhappy with the email replies, so I sent paper letters...

snail mail...

I'll probably get form letters back in snail mail if I hear anything at all.

[Former_Member]

clueless...absolutely clueless!

[Former_Member]

I wonder how they will reply if you write to them asking them if they read your letter, and if so, requesting that they explain why they did not answer any of the questions you asked. I'm sure they are all busy people, but these canned responses are just rude. I need to contact my Senators again and tell them how disappointed I am that they completely ignore their constituents.

[Former_Member]

I actually have gotten good responses to that tactic before, quirkybags- it's very common to get canned answers from our representatives. I expect most of them don't even see the letter, an aide sees it and just shoots off the canned response.
I always write back when this happens and explain that their reply did not address a single issue I brought up and it's clear they didn't read my letter and copied their answer from some form letter. Then I repeat my concerns, usually in a bullet point format.

I am more polite and tactful than the above sounds- beat around the bush a bit more in the first place. But I nearly always get an answer back showing that somebody at least read my second letter.

[Former_Member]

I almost wish I didn't get a response. The POS response I got was a harder slap in the face that being ignored. It says "I don't even care enough to give you a peronalized response, but I want you to be able to say I answer my e-mails"

[HipKidsTyeDye]

Here is the response I received from Senator Herb Kohl in Wisconsin. Another absolutely clueless response that says nothing. Color me disappointed.

Over the past few years, numerous products imported from
China have been taken off the market due to safety concerns,
especially with children's products. Because of these concerns, the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Congress
have taken actions to help ensure all products sold in the United
States are safe.

In August, 2007, the CPSC announced the recall of certain
imported toys containing lead paint. CPSC is an independent
Federal Regulatory Agency responsible for developing and
enforcing both voluntary and mandatory standards with industries
to protect Americans from unreasonable risks of injury from
products. Additionally, CPSC announces recalls of products found
to be unsafe; you can find more information about recalled
products at www.recalls.gov.

In August 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product
Safety Information Act (CPSIA) to establish safety standards and
increase accountability for manufacturers of children's products,
including establishing acceptable levels of lead in paint that is used
on children's products. On January 8, 2009, the CPSC released a
statement clarifying CPSIA, stating "sellers of used children's
products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not
required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits,
phthalates standard or new toy standards." This CPSC statement is
meant to address the concerns of small businesses regarding
excessive regulatory burdens, while ensuring that product safety is
not compromised.

As the global economy expands and the United States
imports more products, it is of utmost importance to continue
ensuring product safety and to continue protecting ourselves and
our families from undue risk.


Ensuring that the government takes all necessary actions to ensure
product and food safety will continue to be of the highest priority
for me.




Sincerely,


Herb Kohl
U.S. Senator

[PolkaDotToadstool]

Kay Baily Hutchison is one of my reps to, I'm off to drop her a a letter as well. I don't like any of my reps, I don't know how they keep getting voted in. I think people just vote for the name they know without looking to see how well they actually represent you.

[happywhosits]

SimplySparkles,

Have you tried replying, and telling her thank you for your reply but here are my concerns?. And as the parent of two young children, don't you want to be able to find quality, made in America toys and clothing for them? And don't you care if you will have to pay higher prices for everything for your children, if you can find it, because of the pcst the mandated testing?

I haven't heard back from mine yet.

Eileen...

[Former_Member]

I haven't followed up because I was disheartened and downright fed up, but I guess you can't give up at the first impasse. As I told her, as a seller this doesn't directly impact me but it impacts friends and fellow Esty sellers I know and THAT is what had be upset.

The rash side of me wants to write back and say "what part of 'devestating to the domestic economy' DON'T you understand????"

[Former_Member]

Good idea with the bullet points, Deputy.

[Former_Member]

The bill will be in the House, rather than the Senate. Set up an appt in person with your Congressman's in-district Constituent Services Rep. Their job is to listen and make things happen for you. They can call the right committee staffer to get the right info in the right ear. That's how you influence legislation. Letters to the Senator sound grand, but you just discovered what they achieve.

[anda]

Don't give up. Here's an awesome comment I found on a blog today with a nice list of ways you can act:

What can you do?
1) Email or call the CPSIA - the office of the CPSC ombudsman 888-531-9070.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
Comments on Component Parts Testing accepted through January 30, 2009.
mailto:Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov.

2) Email or snail mail your representatives.
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

3) Call your representatives. For their contact information just enter your zip code.
http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/

4) Make your voice heard by voting on this issue. The top 3 in each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

5) Sign the petition.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

6) Spread the word! Write about this on your blog. Tell others about this issue and encourage them to do the same.

7) Join others in fighting this cause.
Facebook group
Twitter search
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/notes/Notes_Home

8) Join the etsy community in the virtual chat with CPSIA Small Business Ombudsmen or send a handmade children’s item that will become “hazardous goods” as of 2/9/09 to Bobby Rush, founder of H.R. 4040.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences


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(found here: http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2009/01/cpsia-update-goodwill-says-they-will.html)