Washington , D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) joined with her colleagues to pass the bipartisan Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 4040), which takes several key steps to make children and all Americans safer. As an advocate for strengthening and improving consumer protections laws, DeLauro introduced the first comprehensive product safety legislation in the House – The Safety Assurance For Every (SAFE) Consumer Product Act. Many components of this bill were incorporated into the product safety legislation voted on by the House.

“When 2007 became the ‘Year of the Recall’ due to the numerous recalls of toys and children’s products, it was imperative that Congress act to stem the flow of unsafe products into our stores and homes,” said DeLauro. “That is why I introduced legislation that would, among other things, ban lead in children’s products, enhance recall and inspection authority of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and expedite recall disclosure to the public.

“I am pleased that some of the important ideas and provisions in this bill were included in the final conference report, including language that would: essentially ban lead in toys and children’s products; require CPSC to establish a publicly-accessible database to inform consumers about unsafe products; require third-party testing of certain children’s products; and ensure that the CPSC does not preempt state or local laws.

“I am especially pleased that that this legislation includes provisions to provide the CPSC with the new authority to cease the distribution of toys that pose an imminent hazard from the outset. This is a provision that I worked on with Congresswoman Eshoo, and I am proud to see it in the conference report.

“The conference committee should be commended for insisting that the final conference agreement include a ban on toxic phthalates from children’s products. Earlier this year, some of the country's largest toy sellers, including Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and Babies R Us notified their suppliers that they would no longer carry products containing phthalates beginning in 2009. It would have been senseless if Congress had allowed for the continued use of phthalates in children’s products even though the market already has essentially banned it.

Many of us who support the final conference report would agree that it could have been stronger, but we also agree that it represent a solid first step. We should remain vigilant in ensuring that our families and children are truly protected from harmful products and be prepared to make further improvements to these laws should additional problems arise in the future.”

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