Time to Put Safety First
Defective
and dangerous products – from lead-painted toys to vacuum cleaners that
catch fire – are being allowed onto our store shelves and into our
homes. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has failed to do
its job and protect American consumers.
Public Citizen just released a study showing that manufacturers often
wait nearly three years before telling the CPSC about defective
products that can kill people – and the agency typically takes another seven months to warn the public. Some of these products include infant
swings implicated in six deaths.
We need a strong, effective agency that can warn the public quickly
about dangerous and defective products – and enforce the law against
violators. Under current law, the CPSC must ask permission from manufacturers
to get vital safety information to the public. What’s more, the agency
can’t fine companies enough to make sure that they comply with the law.
The status quo is unacceptable – the CPSC should protect American consumers, not manufacturers!
The Senate commerce committee recently reported out the Consumer
Product Safety Reform Act of 2007 (S. 2045), a bill that would give the
CPSC much-needed muscle. Now it goes to the full Senate for approval.
But, as happens all too often in Washington, D.C., bills that are
carefully honed in committee become unrecognizable after amendments,
concessions and the inevitable congressional horse trading take their
toll on a proposal’s original intent.
Please urge your senators to ensure that the Senate bill passes
intact – without weakening changes – for everyone’s health and safety.