We ARE Making a Difference!

Unless you’re a politician or a lobbyist, it’s not often that you get to feel you made a difference in the federal workings of government. I’m not talking about just voting (which we all should participate in). I’m talking about being a part of a movement to change a law or regulation for the better.

Well, if you called or wrote a congressman, the media, or encouraged a friend to do so to change the CPSIA, today you can take credit for making a difference!

See the press release the CPSC issued yesterday: (Link no longer active.)

If you have some time on your hands, you can read the 19 page document from the CPSC here: (Link no longer active.)

CPSC Delay Not the Solution

In brief, the CPSC is delaying for one year some portions of the law regarding the mandated testing. However, just like when the CPSC issued the statement saying resale shops weren’t required to test existing inventory, all manufacturers are still required to follow the new lower limits.

So, this new delay, while an encouraging step in the right direction, is not the solution. And it wouldn’t have happened without all of us hitting the CPSC daily with calls an emails. Keep it up!

Upcoming Legislative Fix

Senator DeMint of South Carolina is one brave soul that is standing up for sanity: he plans to introduce a bill the first week of February to fix the fundamental problems of the CPSC. See his blog here: (Link no longer active.)

In short, the major changes he’ll be asking for are:

1. Delay the regulations six months.
2. Allow small manufacturers to use the testing and certification that their component suppliers have done to certify that the components do not contain an impermissible amount of lead.
3. Exempt thrift stores, yard sales, consignments shops and other re-sellers from the prohibitions in the act.
4. Prevent retro-active enforcement of the act.
5. Provide a Good-Faith Exemption.
6. Require the CPSC to provide small businesses with a compliance guide.

This morning, I’ve also heard the similar legislation will be introduced in the House by Congressman Alan Putnam of Florida, but I’ve not been able to track down the source of this good news to confirm it.

In any case, though introducing legislation is a huge step for us, we cannot rest on our collective laurels. Unless and until it is passed, we haven’t accomplished our goal. So the bottom line is: keep up the pressure! Keep calling Congress, the media, and sharing this story with your friends to encourage them to do the same!

We are making a difference!