The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) held a hearing today (July 10, 2013) to talk about their agenda and priorities for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. In our effort to be a strong voice on product safety, KID Executive Director, Nancy Cowles, joined other advocates to testify at the hearing.
Section 104 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), also known as the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act – Danny’s Law – is the top priority that KID stressed in our testimony to CPSC. Having mandatory standards for all children’s products, as required by Danny’s Law, is crucial to children’s safety. But many products still lack a mandatory standard, so it’s KID’s hope to work with CPSC to produce and execute mandatory standards quickly and effectively.
Also mentioned is that more work is needed to improve online product registration and all other systems to be sure that users are warned about product recalls promptly. KID also wishes to work together with CPSC to better enforce safety requirements, which includes monitoring online product sales. This is especially true of cribs and crib-related products like soft bedding and bumper pads. It’s equally important to make sure that information on product safety and recall notices are user friendly and accessible to child care providers.
The hearing today provided an opportunity for the public to comment on the CPSC’s focus going forward. We hope we can continue to work with CPSC to provide information, support, and enforcement of these product safety requirements.
