So I just left a meeting with a state rep. about CPSIA...

[LittleElephantCo]

and he just found out about the whole thing on Thursday - that's right, just 2 days ago!

And our local kids resale shops just found about this on Wednesday. Tonight it was explained that daycares are also affected by CPSIA because they charge for their services, which include use of toys, etc.

SHEESH!

Anyway, so the state rep.'s answer is this:

Contact both of your Senators and also your Representative. Send emails, send letters, and call them over and over again. Make as much noise as possible. Get your friends and family to make noise. Ask them to get their friends and family to make noise.

Then contact the CPSC. Make more noise with them. They are the ones determining the verbiage and exclusions in the law, so they need to hear us.

Make sure you tell them how this will impact you - lost job, lost business, XXXXX dollars of lost income, etc. Then tell them about the food pantries and relief organizations that will no longer be able to hand out children's items. Tell them about a scenario of a family who loses everything in a house fire, but we can't give their children clothes to wear or a teddy bear to comfort them becuase of the new law.

Shout it out!!! Come on Who's in Whoville - let's make our voices heard!

[Former_Member]

Thank you for the information!

[LittleElephantCo]

Oh, and vote on change.org and sign the petitions. You can also take a survey that will show the economic impact of this law. I have the links on my blog:

http://www.littleelephantcompany.blogspot.com

[Former_Member]

Did he vote for it? Only one person didn't... everyone else did- did he not know what he was voting for?

[Former_Member]

Good greif, daycares too? What a fiasco.

Can you say "Unintended Consequences" ?

I've seen news stories starting to show up in our area, but they don't really go into any depth about what people can actually do. And one story alluded to resale shops potentially being allowed to sell items already in stock. But wouldn't that just be postponing the inevitable?

[LittleElephantCo]

This was my state representative, on the state level. The law was passed on the federal level.

[LittleElephantCo]

Yes, it's just postponing it at this point.

[GriffithGardens]

Thank you. This was finally on my local news station yesterday and everyone is shocked and angry so maybe the more who hear about it the more we can help to change it.

[Former_Member]

Eeps- sorry, my bad.

[LittleElephantCo]

LittlePods - Sorry, I wasn't clear in my original post about the level of the rep. It's not your fault.

[Former_Member]

Here's some government sites and activism sites to educate yourself on the subject.
Even if your store's products are not affected you will be personally through tax increases to cover testing of school materials including text books and loss of community services like libraries. See these articles http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322
& http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6627969.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=907421483

The Public Law 110-314 as known as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, will affect more than just toys. As it is currently written it encompasses jewelry, clothing, room decor, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, EDUCATIONAL AIDS, art work, ART SUPPLIES, pillows, linens, furniture, so on & etc. if it is made for or looks like it's for someone 12 & under to use it will be subject to the certified testing. Even HAND-ME-DOWNS & vintage items as resales or trades, think flea market, swap meets, yard/ garage sales, eBay & Craigslist, will be subject to the testing.

Here are links for you & anyone else to read up on the law :
First see the 2 STORQUE articles, http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-...
&
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-updates-and-calls-to-action-3157/

If you want to try to interpret the law yourself here are some of the government links :
A copy of the actual law as it stands today: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_public_laws&docid=fubl314.110.pdf

The original bill proposal : http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf

The general CPSIA website : http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Standard Operating Procedure for Determining Total Lead : http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/CPSC-CH-E1001-08.pdf

Original CPSIA FAQs with the definitions of what is considered to be a child's product (hint ever heard of the "court of public opinion"): http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html#educational

Most recent updates to FAQs : http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/newfaqs.pdf

How CSPIA effects existing inventory & by logical extension vintage, resale, & recycling of children's items :
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/advisory/317.pdf
&
http://cpsc.gov/library/foia/advisory/322.pdf

List of product lines that the CPSC DOES NOT have Jurisdiction for. So if your type of products are not on the list & the CPSIA considers your products to appeal to or be made for children you will be required to test for at least lead.
http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/notcpsc.html

List of accredited labs for testing
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/labapplist.aspx
BTW only 18 of the 88 are in the USA all others are overseas, 15 in Europe and 55 in Asia. Also not all of the labs can test for total lead content, some only test for lead painted, others for small parts & durability, and a few can do the phthalates test. You have to click on the lab name, then on submit to see what that lab is certified by the CPSC to test and issue the certificate of compliance on.

The law has many gray areas including what is to be considered children's items. Here's a Q & A from 1 of the USA based CPSIA certified testing facilities http://www.strquality.com/www/strlab/industry_expertise/cpsia_faq_html , I realize that they make their profit from testing so they may only have answered in such a way to drum up more business. With that being said it is still one of the only offical sites (meaning it is an lab being accredited by the government to interpet the test requirements) that I've seen that answers some questions in a straight foward understandable manner to the public.

A small glimmer of hope for organic fabric (undyed), untreated wood (nonstained or coated), and other natural but unaltered material users :
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/leadlimitsfr.pdf
Public comment is open till 2-4-09 (30 days after the meeting)email address id on page 2 of the document. So please contact them with your suggestions
Easier to read but alot less info on the above from newsreports on the committee meeting at
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a0Xr2Iw1Vi_8&refer=us
&
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lead7-2009jan07,0,6917858.story

or try
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Then search:
H.R.4040
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) ~ make sure you read all sections including the references at the end.

The law is ambiguous at best, so be prepared to consult a lawyer as to how this might impact on your business or your ability to buy handmade products for children.

After you have read all this, & consulted who you can MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD on how you feel on the subject.

Here's a way to contact your representatives.
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
&
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

How to contact the CPSC with questions on the law including, "How does this does it pertain to my products?".
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
Be as specific as possible in your questions, you will not recieve a personal reply, but the most often asked questions will be answered in 1 of the upcoming CPSIA's FAQs.

Contacting the SBA regarding any protections for small busineses, charities, and hobbists under the Regulatory and Flexibility Act http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/laws/regulatory-flexibility/, an earlier federal law that MIGHT serve as a legal loophole :
http://www.sba.gov/contactus/index.html

After you have contacted these offices with your questions I suggest you also post them at http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5963148, a thread that is collecting questions at ETSY so any other members that hadn't thought of that particular set of questions might also ask them of their government officals and CPSIA.


These here are not government sites but they are trying their best to make sensible changes to the poorly written law.

An activism site trying to get Obama's ear on Inauguration Day on what their poll says are the top 10 issues right now :
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia . Second round ends for voting on Jan 15th.

A petition started by http://www.fashion-incubator.com/ is available at :
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/

NAM's petition to the CPSIA to reconsider the wording and materials covered by the law:
http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/PDFs/Safety/CPSCPetition1208.pdf . There is a couple of blogs saying if you agree with this letter that you print it, write a cover letter stating you agree with it, and send it to your represenatives and to the CPSC / CPSIA offices before the vote due on Jan 5th. Since this vote has already passed I'ld include it anyway if you are adding your voice to the public comment period for exempt materials.

Blogs for toy makers :
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
http://grecowoodcrafting.wordpress.com/
http://www.challengeandfun.typepad.com/

Blogs for children's clothing, doll clothes, hair bows, and accessory makers :
http://www.fashion-incubator.com
http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/LegislativeTradeNews/ChildrensClothingRegulations.asp

Blogs and groups for anyone interested in this issue :
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/
http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5935443

There's lot more blogs, news stories, and groups out there following and DOING what they can to get the CPSIA and government to revisit the law and make it so small businesses can flourish in harmony with the lead limits and other restrictions.
I know that I probably missed some groups but the ones above are the ones that I've been actively visiting. Just pick your favorite social site, blog posting host, video viewing site, etc. and type in CPSIA into the search box and just wait to get overwhemled by the number of hits you get for the search.

[Former_Member]

jewelrydesignsbyME...thank you!

[Former_Member]

Wow - amazing list of resources! Thank you so much, jewelrydesignsbyME.

[Former_Member]

Great info!

[Former_Member]

Awesome list!
Thank you :)
marking
Suz

[Former_Member]

marking! thank you!!! i've put my baby friendly beads shop on hold until all this is figured out. so frustrating. but doing what i can to shout out about this, LOUDLY!

[Former_Member]

I've already contacted my representatives a couple times; once a week or so ago to ask for revisions to be made to the act, and again last night to request that they lobby for the act to be repealed, after someone on the forum here pointed out that there are so many problems with it they might as well scrap it completely and start over. I don't suppose it's likely we can get it repealed but I thought it was worth a try.

Oh BTW my mother is a retired librarian, I told her what's going on last night and she's absolutely disgusted about the whole thing!

[LoblollyRidge]

i'm still calling my rep (federal) every day. he's on the committee that will implement this mess. i can't get through, but i'm not giving up, either. every day....

[Former_Member]

Contemplating emailing my reps and CPSC every day from now until Feb. 10th...probably preface the emails with "I know I've contacted you before about this but....."

Is there anywhere with a comprehensive list of the different links to info about this? If there was it might be easier for us to do our contacts, just send them the one link and they can go through and read the different links to available information.

[LoblollyRidge]

ahh, but the question is, do they care to read the different links? i think that's a large part of the problem, they just don't SEE how it will affect anyone else. the forest for the trees, i suppose.

i was thinking about holding a "book burning" on Feb 10. and start advertising it now... maybe that would get some attention. maybe we should have a book burning in every city. ( not that i'd every burn a book, they're sacred, imo, but to get some one to pay attention.)

[Former_Member]

Marking

[Former_Member]

Didn't someone mention in another thread the idea of getting together and going to Washington en masse? Like a group of us go to DC and bring samples of our children's products that are going to be banned by CPSIA? I know there's another thread where people are mailing things in, but maybe it will get their attention better if they're face to face with a large group of people. Has there been any organization or planning toward doing something like that?

[happywhosits]

Excellent list JDbyME!

[GoTo]

Still hoping this all gets corrected soon....

[Former_Member]

I dont know about the DC thing Ruth the only thread Im aware of is the mailing one.