Letters to/from Politicians, CPSC etc.

[Rob Wilson]

Please post your letters to Senators, Representatives of Congress, CPSC and others here. It would be nice to have a record of who has been contacted, AND their responses.

[Rob Wilson]

Here is the new NAM Petition requesting a delay in the Feb 10th deadline. Please note the very long list of signatories. Please make sure your Congressman knows that you also consider yourself a signatory of this petition.

[Desiree Vittorio]

I contacted Dina Titus and have not had a response yet. I also contacted both Nevada senators and they both responded. I responded to these emails and am waiting for a reply.

"This is an official communication from the Office of Senator John Ensign. Any tampering or alteration of this communication is prohibited and may result in criminal investigation or prosecution. January 26, 2009 Mrs. Desiree Vittorio 7175 Durango St Las Vegas, Nevada 89120-3002 Dear Mrs. Vittorio: Thank you very much for taking the time to contact me about consumer product safety. I value the opinion of every Nevadan and am always grateful to those who take the time to inform me of their views. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from over 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Most recently, the CPSC has been actively recalling numerous products manufactured in China that have been found to contain high levels of lead, which is dangerous when ingested even in small amounts, especially for children. As a father of three, I am acutely aware of the risks that children face and strongly believe in improving safety for our children. You may know that Congress approved H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. This bipartisan bill included a number of reforms to modernize the CPSC in order to improve its ability to ensure the safety of consumer products. This bill also included increased resources for CPSC, updated regulatory processes, a ban on lead in consumer products, and stricter rules for flammable materials. I supported this bill because it was important that we strengthen the CPSC and provide them with additional resources, but I am very concerned about the law's unintended consequences. According to the bill, all products designed for children younger than 12 years old must be certified as safe and virtually lead-free by independent testing. The testing requirements are expensive and may be unaffordable for many small businesses. During a time of economic hardships, thrift stores, small manufacturers, retailers, and craftsmen may be put out of business if the new CPSC regulations are excessive. The policies we put in place need to protect consumers without overregulating small businesses. I am hopeful that President Obama will act swiftly to correct this law. If the law is not corrected, it will negatively impact the lives of millions of working families, create huge challenges for non-profits, and hurt small businesses across a broad spectrum of our economy. As the process moves forward, I will continue to reach out to groups in Nevada that will be impacted by this legislation. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on matters of importance to you. Should you have any other questions or comments or would like to sign up for my newsletter, please do not hesitate to either write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov. Sincerely, JOHN ENSIGN United States Senator JE/u1 Your thoughts and opinions are important. Unfortunately, any replies to this e-mail will not be received and processed. If you want to contact Senator Ensign electronically again please visit: http://ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm We respect your online time and privacy. If you have any questions about our online privacy statement, please visit Senator Ensign's website http://ensign.senate.gov/ and read our privacy policy at the bottom of the page"




"TIME \@ "MMMM d, yyyy" January 16, 2009







Mrs. Desiree Vittorio

7175 Durango St

Las Vegas, Nevada 89120-3002



Dear Mrs. Vittorio:



Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA; Public Law 110-314). I appreciate hearing from you.



As you may know, the CPSIA came about in response to alarming discoveries of hazardous materials in popular children's toys. Over 45 million toys and children's products were recalled in 2007, and the presence of toxic levels of lead paint, for example, in 1.5 million Chinese-made toys recalled by Mattel helped prompt Congress to pass this sweeping, bipartisan legislation. By banning lead and the use of phthalates and increasing the Consumer Product Safety Commission's capacity to conduct effective oversight, the CPSIA seeks to ensure that dangerous substances are eliminated from our children's toys and products.



In light of these new regulations, I appreciate you bringing to my attention the concerns domestic makers of children's products have raised about the impact of CPSIA testing and labeling requirements effective in 2009. Specifically, I took note of your worry that the costs of CPSIA compliance threaten the continued viability of many of these small producers. Given that the goal of this legislation is protecting our nation's children, not driving cottage-industry manufacturers out of business, I certainly understand your frustration.



You may be interested to learn that Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, has announced his intention to hold a hearing on this matter later this month. Please know that I have taken note of your support for additional CPSIA legislation, and I will certainly continue to monitor any further developments on this issue as the 111th session of Congress continues.



Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. For more information about my work for Nevada, my role in the United States Senate Leadership, or to subscribe to regular e-mail updates on the issues that interest you, please visit my Web site at http://reid.senate.gov. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.



My best wishes to you.



Sincerely,


HARRY REID

United States Senator

Nevada





HR:jn"

[becca covert]

I was glad to hear back from Cong. Periello, and I will try to meet with him in person as well.


February 6, 2009

Dear Mrs. Covert,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts on this important issue.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was introduced by Representative Bobby Rush on November 1, 2007 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 14, 2008. This act aims to modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission and to set standards for the safety of children's products.

While I believe that ensuring the safety for our children is of utmost importance, I also understand your concerns on the consequences of this legislation for small businesses and consumers. I too believe that small business are the backbone of our economy and are an important source of jobs, particularly in these troubled economic times. Please be assured that I will take a serious look at the impact of this legislation on small companies and that I will keep your thoughts in mind.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact my office. To keep informed of the work I do, please visit my website at www.perriello.house.gov and sign up for my newsletter. If I may be of assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.



Sincerely,

Tom Perriello

[becca covert]

Yea, I will for sure be in touch with him again . . . .


Dear Ms. Covert:

Thank you for contacting my office regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (P. L. 110-314). I appreciate your taking the time to share your views and suggestions with me.

As you may know, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency designed to play a critical role in helping protect U.S. consumers against unsafe products, has been consistently under-funded in past years. In order to rectify this problem, in the 110th, Congress the United States Senate passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which authorized CPSC funding levels for the next seven fiscal years starting at $80 million in 2009 and increasing at a rate of 10 percent per year through 2015. I voted in support of this bill because it will help to protect our children from lead and unsafe products, increase public access to product safety information, and help get unsafe products off of the store shelves.

I understand the concerns you have raised regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's third party testing and labeling provision. I have shared your concerns with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which maintains oversight of the CPSC. My staff and I will continue to monitor this issue in order to ensure that the best interests of Virginians are considered.

As the U.S. Senate address important issues, please be assured that your views will be very helpful to me and my staff. I hope that you will continue to share your views with us in the years ahead.

I would also invite you to visit my website at www.webb.senate.gov for regular updates about my activities and positions on issues that are important to Virginia and our nation.

Thank you once again for contacting my office.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb

[Dennis and Lee Williams]

Hi Rob, We did finally get some hopeful results from our Representative. Dennis called the local office of Representative Thompson and spoke in a firm manner with one of the ladies there. She said to send an email to her. We did that and we got a lame answer back. Dennis slept on that and then the next day he wrote and I send a much firmer letter and mentioned for us the redundancy of them requiring us to test our wood toys with paint again and again when our paints already carry an AP seal with a ACMI or ASTM conformance number. It states they contain no lead and that they were backed up for toxicological Expertise provided by Duke University Medical Center and Division of Occupational and Environment Medicine. It contained a few other important things also. It wasn't very much longer that he received a call from Thompson's DC office and the lady talked with him extensively. She said there would be no enforcement until they get it better. She said they really are hearing us and working more on it now. I told her that if they picked me up at a show and threw me in jail, I was going to call her. She said to call anytime I had a problem because they were really working on it. So, everyone, keep pushing and don't take their lame excusses. We also emailed Senators Boxer and Feinstein and tried to call 2 times but have not received any replies yet. February 20th

[PlainJane]

Received this morning via email from Senator Carl Levin:


Dear Mrs. Devlin:

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me regarding the
implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). I
appreciate your input. I have heard from a number of Michigan constituents
and companies with similar concerns about this legislation.

We all agree that it is of the utmost importance to protect our
children’s health and safety by banning lead and phthalates from children’s
products, as demonstrated by the widespread support in Congress of the
CPSIA. Given the current lack of resources at the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), however, I am concerned that the effort to protect our
children from dangerous substances has had some unintended consequences,
including harming small companies that CPSIA was not aimed at in the first
place.

On January 16, 2009, I wrote a letter to Senator John Rockefeller,
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
and Senator Mark Pryor, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer
Affairs, expressing my concerns about the implementation of the CPSIA. In
this letter, I included examples of Michigan companies who would be
negatively and inadvertently impacted by the implementation of the CPSIA
and who have received little or no guidance from the CPSC about whether
their products would be exempt from the testing requirements.

My staff has also weighed in with the CPSC regarding specific
questions from Michigan companies, including wooden toy companies, thrift
stores, consignment shops, sports equipment companies, and home crafters.

On February 9, 2009, the CPSC issued a stay of enforcement of the
testing and certification requirements mandated by the CPSIA. This rule
went into effect on February 10, 2009, and will remain in effect for one
year. The CPSC has stated that this will afford their agency the necessary
time to determine testing requirements, review public comment, and issue
specific guidelines for businesses and manufacturers to comply with new
CPSIA standards and testing requirements. Enforcement of these provisions,
especially upon small business such as craft and handmade toy makers, would
be premature considering it is still unclear what standards will apply.

I am pleased, however, that the stay of enforcement does not exclude
manufacturers or importers from certification requirements for lead paint,
children’s cribs, pacifiers, small parts, and lead in metal components of
children’s metal jewelry. Furthermore, the stay only applies to testing
and certification requirements, and does not exclude the sale of children’s
products from all applicable mandatory safety standards, including limits
on lead and phthalates determined by the CPSIA.

At a time when the President and Congress are working to take all
possible steps to create jobs, we are facing a situation where the unintended consequences of well
intentioned legislation risks resulting in the loss of jobs. I am hopeful
that the CPSC will use this time period effectively, and that Senators
Rockefeller and Pryor will work to provide the CPSC with the resources and
direction needed to allow them to issue regulatory guidance in a more
clear, rational and timely manner.

Michigan is suffering from the highest unemployment rate in the
nation, and while I strongly support the intent of this legislation to
ensure the safety of our children’s products, I also want to avoid any
unintended consequences and expenses for businesses that are not
commonsensical. As I continue to work on this matter, I will certainly
keep your input in mind.


Sincerely,
Carl Levin

[KATE MAXIN]

Dear Mrs. Maxin:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was signed into law on August 14, 2008. The purpose of the legislation is to provide safeguards to prevent dangerous goods from being manufactured and sold to children through better screening of noncompliant products and more effective product recalls. I supported this legislation because I believe it promotes greater safety in children's products.

Originally the law was set to take affect on February 10, 2009. However, due to ongoing questions about the law's interpretation and implementation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements. Under this new timeline, manufacturers and importers of children's products do not need to test or certify the requirements set by the CPSIA until February 10, 2010. Please be advised that retailers are still expected to meet the lead and phthalates standards but will not have to test or certify that each product meets the new standard. This action follows an earlier decision on January 8, where the CPSC announced an exemption for resellers, determining that thrift and consignment stores are not required to test products prior to resale. As always, businesses that resell children's goods are encouraged to exercise judgment in removing noncompliant products and continue to follow all product recall advisements.

I understand that the Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to refine the regulations through an ongoing rule-making process. I will continue to monitor the rule-making decisions of the Commission and promote quick decision-making so that businesses have an adequate time frame to respond to the new regulations. If you have specific questions about the law, please visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website at www.cpsc.gov/cpsia or call [phone] to speak with a Commission representative.

Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.

If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.



Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

[Rob Wilson]

Here is the new letter from Rep Dingell attached.

[Rob Wilson]

Here are the letters to Chair Tenenbaum urging her to revisit the request for a stay on the permanent tracking labels.