U.S. Senate backs product safety overhaul: harsher penalties for companies that make hazardous products March 6, 2008 Los Angeles Times

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Good News: From a silent sister

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-consumers7mar07,0,3899223.story From the

Los Angeles Times U.S. Senate backs product safety overhaul The vote could mean a major boost in

funding for the product safety commission and harsher penalties for companies

that make hazardous products. A less expansive House bill, which had industry

support, passed in December. By Noam N. Levey

Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

3:41 PM PST, March 6, 2008

WASHINGTON — Moving to reverse decades of limited federal oversight, the

Senate voted today to make sweeping changes to the government's system of

regulating toys, appliances and thousands of other household products.

The 79-13 vote could lead to a major expansion of the Consumer Product Safety

Commission and stiffer penalties for companies that manufacture and distribute

hazardous products. And it may mean broad new public access to information

about potentially dangerous products before they are recalled.

"This bill is the most significant product safety reform measure in recent

history," said Weintraub, director of product safety at the

Consumer Federation of America. "Americans have been waiting for this

solution to our broken product safety system."

Manufacturers and retailers last year recalled more than 400 products,

including millions of Chinese-made toys that contained lead paint, dangerous

magnets or other hazards.

The recalls sparked an intense effort on Capitol Hill to strengthen the

Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has long had fewer investigative and

enforcement tools than other federal regulatory agencies, such as the Food and

Drug Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Senate Democrats worked for months to build GOP support for increased federal oversight in the face of stiff industry

resistance to new regulation.

The bill won the support of 33 Republicans, the two independents and 44

Democrats, including California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne

Feinstein .

Thirteen GOP lawmakers voted against the bill, which some called a gift to

trial attorneys. "Lawsuits as far as the eye can see," predicted Sen.

M. Inhofe (R-Okla.).

Presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) missed the vote.

The vote sets the stage for potentially difficult talks as Senate leaders work

with their House counterparts to reconcile the differences between the bills

approved by the two chambers. The House bill -- passed unanimously in December

with the blessing of influential industry groups -- is less expansive than the

Senate legislation.

Today's vote also could set up a confrontation with the White

House , which has expressed strong opposition to several key

provisions of the Senate bill.

The Bush administration, which tried unsuccessfully last year to put an

executive from the National Assn. of Manufacturers at the head of the Consumer

Product Safety Commission, presided over a nearly 15% cut in agency staff

between 2001 and 2007.

The legislation approved today could dramatically reverse that.

The bill authorizes a phased $60-million increase in funding for the agency to

boost its budget to $142 million by 2015, which, adjusted for inflation, would

put the agency close to where it was in its heyday in the late 1970s.

The Senate bill would also:

* Create a searchable Internet database where consumers could post complaints

and search for comments about potentially dangerous products;

* Effectively ban lead in toys and require pre-market testing for children's

products by independent laboratories or certified labs owned by manufacturers;

* Boost maximum civil penalties for safety violations to $20 million from $1.8

million;

* Give state attorneys general authority to enforce federal product safety

laws;

* And extend new whistleblower protections to employees who report safety

violations.

"This will make a big difference in the integrity of the products

Americans buy," said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), the lead author of the

bill. "It's a good day for the Senate."

The legislation marks a substantial victory for consumer groups, which have

waged a long campaign to get the government to more aggressively protect

Americans from potentially dangerous products. And it was a rare setback for a

coalition of manufacturers and retailers, led by the National Assn. of

Manufacturers, that has been able to limit the agency's authority for more than

two decades.

On Wednesday, the manufacturers coalition, which argues the bill would increase

litigation and dissuade companies from cooperating with the federal government,

sent a three-page letter to Senate leaders urging changes to the bill. "The

bill should be refocused to emphasize safety and safe imports and to remove

provisions that would impose unnecessary burdens on

U.S. companies," leaders of

the industry coalition wrote.

Industry groups have indicated they will continue to press their case when

House and Senate lawmakers convene to settle the differences between their

bills.

Among other differences, the House bill does not mandate the creation of a

consumer database, authorizes less money for the Consumer Product Safety

Commission, sets lower penalties for violators and has no new whistleblower

protections.

noam.levey@...

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[Guest guest]

As long as they don't protect us from things they

need, and it would be nice if they actually

protected us from things like breast implants.

Lynda

At 03:57 AM 3/7/2008, you wrote:

>Good News: From a silent sister

>

><http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-consumers7mar07,0,3899223\

..story>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-consumers7mar07,0,38\

99223.story

>

> From the Los Angeles Times

>

>

>U.S. Senate backs product safety overhaul

>

>

>

>The vote could mean a major boost in funding for

>the product safety commission and harsher

>penalties for companies that make hazardous

>products. A less expansive House bill, which had

>industry support, passed in December.

>

>By Noam N. Levey

>Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

>

>3:41 PM PST, March 6, 2008

>

>WASHINGTON — Moving to reverse decades of

>limited federal oversight, the Senate voted

>today to make sweeping changes to the

>government's system of regulating toys,

>appliances and thousands of other household products.

>

>The 79-13 vote could lead to a major expansion

>of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and

>stiffer penalties for companies that manufacture

>and distribute hazardous products. And it may

>mean broad new public access to information

>about potentially dangerous products before they are recalled.

>

> " This bill is the most significant product

>safety reform measure in recent history, " said

> Weintraub, director of product safety at

>the Consumer Federation of America. " Americans

>have been waiting for this solution to our broken product safety system. "

>

>Manufacturers and retailers last year recalled

>more than 400 products, including millions of

>Chinese-made toys that contained lead paint,

>dangerous magnets or other hazards.

>

>The recalls sparked an intense effort on Capitol

>Hill to strengthen the Consumer Product Safety

>Commission, which has long had fewer

>investigative and enforcement tools than other

>federal regulatory agencies, such as the Food

>and Drug Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

>

>Senate Democrats worked for months to build GOP

>support for increased federal oversight in the

>face of stiff industry resistance to new regulation.

>

>The bill won the support of 33 Republicans, the

>two independents and 44 Democrats, including

>California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein .

>

>Thirteen GOP lawmakers voted against the bill,

>which some called a gift to trial attorneys.

> " Lawsuits as far as the eye can see, " predicted Sen. M. Inhofe (R-Okla.).

>

>Presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton

>(D-N.Y.), McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) missed the vote.

>

>The vote sets the stage for potentially

>difficult talks as Senate leaders work with

>their House counterparts to reconcile the

>differences between the bills approved by the

>two chambers. The House bill -- passed

>unanimously in December with the blessing of

>influential industry groups -- is less expansive than the Senate legislation.

>

>Today's vote also could set up a confrontation

>with the White House , which has expressed

>strong opposition to several key provisions of the Senate bill.

>

>The Bush administration, which tried

>unsuccessfully last year to put an executive

>from the National Assn. of Manufacturers at the

>head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission,

>presided over a nearly 15% cut in agency staff between 2001 and 2007.

>

>The legislation approved today could dramatically reverse that.

>

>The bill authorizes a phased $60-million

>increase in funding for the agency to boost its

>budget to $142 million by 2015, which, adjusted

>for inflation, would put the agency close to

>where it was in its heyday in the late 1970s.

>

>The Senate bill would also:

>

>* Create a searchable Internet database where

>consumers could post complaints and search for

>comments about potentially dangerous products;

>

>* Effectively ban lead in toys and require

>pre-market testing for children's products by

>independent laboratories or certified labs owned by manufacturers;

>

>* Boost maximum civil penalties for safety

>violations to $20 million from $1.8 million;

>

>* Give state attorneys general authority to

>enforce federal product safety laws;

>

>* And extend new whistleblower protections to

>employees who report safety violations.

>

> " This will make a big difference in the

>integrity of the products Americans buy, " said

>Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), the lead author of the

>bill. " It's a good day for the Senate. "

>

>The legislation marks a substantial victory for

>consumer groups, which have waged a long

>campaign to get the government to more

>aggressively protect Americans from potentially

>dangerous products. And it was a rare setback

>for a coalition of manufacturers and retailers,

>led by the National Assn. of Manufacturers, that

>has been able to limit the agency's authority for more than two decades.

>

>On Wednesday, the manufacturers coalition, which

>argues the bill would increase litigation and

>dissuade companies from cooperating with the

>federal government, sent a three-page letter to

>Senate leaders urging changes to the bill. " The

>bill should be refocused to emphasize safety and

>safe imports and to remove provisions that would

>impose unnecessary burdens on U.S. companies, "

>leaders of the industry coalition wrote.

>

>Industry groups have indicated they will

>continue to press their case when House and

>Senate lawmakers convene to settle the differences between their bills.

>

>Among other differences, the House bill does not

>mandate the creation of a consumer database,

>authorizes less money for the Consumer Product

>Safety Commission, sets lower penalties for

>violators and has no new whistleblower protections.

>

><mailto:noam.levey@...>noam.levey@...

>

>No virus found in this outgoing message.

>Checked by AVG Free Edition.

>Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.6/1315

>- Release Date: 3/6/2008 9:07 AM

>

>