Normal posting will resume tomorrow; I’m leaving Washington DC this morning. In the meantime, there’s no big news just lots of small bits, mostly politically infighting after last Friday’s announcements as listed below, not entirely in order of importance except for the top two.
- You are urged to contact your legislator and request he or she to support DeMint’s proposal. More at close.
- A national day of activism is planned for National Bankruptcy Day, the date of enactment February 10, 2009. Ideally, constituents will gather peaceably to visit their legislators district office (local to you) and contact the media about the event. More details tomorrow.
- There was a rally in front of Macy’s yesterday in New York City organized by the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Childrenswear, Inc. It appears to be “gaining leverage with the New York congressional delegation and New York City Mayor’s office”. Also see the video segment from ABC news.
- A coalition of trade associations in Washington DC have posted this ad in several publications that go to the Hill. Signatories included. You are free to reproduce it and pass it around.
- Senator Schumer, who had been rumored to be ardently opposed to CPSIA, issued a statement yesterday saying:
This new law must be implemented in a commonsense way that both keeps dangerous lead out of toys and other products, but doesn’t keep the safe products out of stores or put the businesses that make them at risk. While there simply is no place for lead and other hazardous chemicals in toys and children’s products, businesses have valid concerns about how the rule is being implemented and we are working hard to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Political News:
- The primary backers of CPSIA namely Waxman, Rockerfeller, Rush and Pryor sent a letter to the president (pdf) yesterday. In it, they blamed CPSC commissioner Nancy Nord for mismanagement and resultant problems with CPSIA implementation. They are requesting her resignation and the appointment of a replacement immediately. [amended] They’ve sent a second letter (pdf) to Nord and Moore.
- Thomas Moore, the other CPSC commissioner, sent a letter (pdf) to Waxman, Rockerfeller, Rush and Pryor yesterday in response to the letter they’d sent to the CPSC. He reiterated his message from Friday to small businesses and mentioned there was disagreement between himself and Nord as to how the CPSIA matter was handled. I make no further comment at this time.
- [Amended] Utah Senator Orrin Hatch calls for Senate hearings.
Further Action:
Folks have been asking what they can do help build momentum around Senator Jim DeMint’s new legislation to reform the current CPSIA law.
- Call your Senator (switchboard: 202-224-3121).
- Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the Senator or the staff assistant who follows Commerce issues.
- Ask him/her to co-sponsor Senator DeMint’s CPSIA Reform Legislation, and tell them if they have questions about the legislation they can contact Tom Jones in Senator DeMint’s DC office at 202-224-6121. Tom’s email address is tom_jonesATcommerceDOTsenateDOTgov
- Ask them to vote for the CPSIA Reform legislation when it comes to the Senate floor, possibly as an amendment to the stimulus package as has been rumored.
- Get five friends to do steps 1-4.
- Tell us how your conversations went.
Sensible and commonsense product safety rules are a bipartisan value. We need Democrats and Republicans to co-sponsor and support this legislation.
Thank you, Kathleen, for your tireless efforts. I just finished reading the NAM letter you participated in drafting, now the impetus for a vote to stay the effective date of CPSIA Section 101(a)(2), due by Feb. 9. It is posted at http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia09/brief/stay101.pdf.
Fashion Incubator Association has a nice ring to it, I have to say.
I hate to say this but I wonder if that letter to Mr. President is a fake. How is it that all these letters are public knowledge? This could really defame her in a big way.
http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=299ddb21-1b78-be3e-e0db-8dff9c9aa2a4
Senator Hatch of Utah who is fairly high ranking has called for senate hearings on the CPSIA and written several letters.. see the above link
I wish I didn’t live in DC where we have no congressional vote. Is there anything else I can do?
~sigh~ Yet another letter this morning, dated yesterday. This one (pdf) is from Waxman et al in response to Moore (linked to in the above entry) and Nord’s response (1/30/09) to the letter Waxman et al had sent mid January. The legislators are requesting “immediate action” and describe the stay as “unfortunate”.
I heard from the local news either last night or this morn that the CPSC is not going to enforce the law until a year from now in order to examine the issues further.
I just got off the phone with a nice young person in Senator Kerry’s office who sounded as nervous as I did, maybe the other staffers were still out to lunch. He said he’d pass on my message to the senator, and that as of yet, senator Kerry had not said anything one way or the other about the CSPIA. Well, he probably won’t do anything, but he’s the only well senator I’ve got.
Just a quick note to thank you for all your hard work. I’ve been very distracted with weddings and a lot of custom work thru the holidays, but have been following this fiasco thru your blog when I could. I have just renewed my membership and wish that I could do more, but it is just not possible right now. I am quite sure that with out your long hours and sacrifice this bill would never have gotten the notice. Thanks again.
Does this really mean that we can continue working like normal again? I still don’t believe it!Thanks to Fashion Incubator, Kathleen and all the others.
Got this from CPSC:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09120.html
No Bente, we’re still not off the hook altho it *could* seem the situation is lightening up. Frankly, and as I mentioned to others, all these late Friday afternoon press releases from the CPSC come at a bad time, throw my whole schedule off. I’m not complaining but just when I’m trying to post for the day (never did get one up today) these press releases come out, then a slurry of emails to follow and tweets and then phone calls and I never get the chance to just read, absorb, process and report. I mean, it’s fire fighting all afternoon with nothing to show for it. Hopefully I’ll have something else up tomorrow. The situation remains dire. And still, no movement from the special interest groups who’ve promulgated this whole mess; they could still file a lawsuit. They won the last won -was it yesterday?