Product liability

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:26:30 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Total units of recalled children’s products in 2007: 46,562,901

Percentage of these recalls that were for children’s products: 52

Percent increase in recalls through the end of June 2008 over fiscal year 2007: 22

Approximate number of children, ages 14 and under, who are treated at hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in a given year: 121,500

Operating budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, expressed in today’s dolalrs: $125 million

Consumer Product Safety Commission operating budget in 2007: $62,370,000

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. The record-setting 448 product recalls last year made 2007 the year of the recall. Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission is responsible for protecting consumers from more than 15,000 types of consumer products, an anemic budget and staff shortages have increasingly put middle-class American consumers at risk. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a compromise version of bills passed by the House and Senate bills earlier in the year, responds vigorously to the dangers that middle-class consumers increasingly confront at the supermarket, at the toy store, and in their own homes. By providing the CPSC with additional funding through 2014, along with a mandate to increase its fulltime staff and a rule making committee meetings and rulemaking easier, the legislation helps to ensure that competent inspectors remain vigilant of consumer safety. Empowering state attorneys general to file suit when they believe that residents of a state have been adversely affected by a violation of a consumer product safety rule creates an additional layer of consumer protection. Independent third-party testing of children’s products prevents the insidious practice by which manufacturers would certify the safety of their own goods, while mandatory toy safety standards are a commonsense response to the recent explosion of toy recalls. A database of consumer complaints about dangerous products will both educate the public about potentially harmful goods and allow consumers to voice their concerns about such products. The ban on lead and phthalates in children’s products and the increase in the age level at which a product is considered to be intended for a child will benefit parents who would otherwise be unable to determine if a toy is safe. Whistleblower protections will ensure that vigilant industry employees do not fear job or compensation loss for reporting negligent manufacturing practices or poor oversight.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Recalls and Product Safety News from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

“2007: The Year of the Recall”, from Kids in Danger

“Total Recall: The Need for CPSC Reform Now”

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:26:30 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Total units of recalled children’s products in 2007: 46,562,901

Percentage of these recalls that were for children’s products: 52

Percent increase in recalls through the end of June 2008 over fiscal year 2007: 22

Approximate number of children, ages 14 and under, who are treated at hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in a given year: 121,500

Operating budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, expressed in today’s dolalrs: $125 million

Consumer Product Safety Commission operating budget in 2007: $62,370,000

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Recalls and Product Safety News from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

“2007: The Year of the Recall”, from Kids in Danger

“Total Recall: The Need for CPSC Reform Now”

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:26:30 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Total units of recalled children’s products in 2007: 46,562,901

Percentage of these recalls that were for children’s products: 52

Percent increase in recalls through the end of June 2008 over fiscal year 2007: 22

Approximate number of children, ages 14 and under, who are treated at hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in a given year: 121,500

Operating budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, expressed in today’s dolalrs: $125 million

Consumer Product Safety Commission operating budget in 2007: $62,370,000

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Recalls and Product Safety News from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

“2007: The Year of the Recall”, from Kids in Danger

“Total Recall: The Need for CPSC Reform Now”

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:52:10 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Cost to the United States each year from deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents: $700 billion

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation:$125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Number of children under the age of five who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with nursery products in 2005: 59,800

Number of toys recalled because of lead paint, tiny magnets, and other hazards in 2007: 25 million

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. The record-setting 473 product recalls last year made 2007 the year of the recall. Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission is responsible for protecting consumers from more than 15,000 types of consumer products, an anemic budget and staff shortages have increasingly put middle-class American consumers at risk. The Senate version of the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act responds soundly to the dangers that consumers increasingly confront at the supermarket, at the toy store, and in their own homes. The provision limiting federal preemption of stronger state laws is critical to ensuring that consumers are as well protected as possible against dangerous products. By providing the CPSC with additional funding through 2015, along with resources to improve its testing facilities, the legislation helps to ensure that competent inspectors remain vigilant of consumer safety no matter who is president. Empowering state attorneys general to file suit when they believe that residents of a state have been adversely affected by a violation of a consumer product safety rule – instead of simply to enforce a CPSC rule, as provided in the House version of this bill – creates an additional layer of consumer protection. Independent third-party testing of children’s products prevents the insidious practice by which manufacturers would certify the safety of their own goods, while mandatory toy safety standards are a commonsense response to the recent explosion of toy recalls. A database of consumer complaints about dangerous products will both educate the public about potentially harmful goods and allow consumers to voice their concerns about such products. The ban on lead in children’s products and the increase in the age level at which a product is considered to be intended for a child will benefit parents who would otherwise be unable to determine if a toy is safe. Whistleblower protections will ensure that vigilant industry employees and public employees do not fear job or compensation loss for reporting negligent manufacturing practices or poor oversight.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Rebuttal of Myths About Senate Product Safety Reform Bill, from the Consumer Federation

“Held Back: Unfinished Consumer Product Safety Commission Rules, Class of 2007,” from Public Citizen

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:52:10 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Cost to the United States each year from deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents: $700 billion

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation:$125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Number of children under the age of five who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with nursery products in 2005: 59,800

Number of toys recalled because of lead paint, tiny magnets, and other hazards in 2007: 25 million

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Rebuttal of Myths About Senate Product Safety Reform Bill, from the Consumer Federation

“Held Back: Unfinished Consumer Product Safety Commission Rules, Class of 2007,” from Public Citizen

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

hmoroz — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:52:10 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Cost to the United States each year from deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents: $700 billion

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation:$125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 1974, the year the commission was established: 786

Number of full-time employees at the CPSC in 2007: 420

Number of children under the age of five who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with nursery products in 2005: 59,800

Number of toys recalled because of lead paint, tiny magnets, and other hazards in 2007: 25 million

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

Rebuttal of Myths About Senate Product Safety Reform Bill, from the Consumer Federation

“Held Back: Unfinished Consumer Product Safety Commission Rules, Class of 2007,” from Public Citizen

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act of 2007

hmoroz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:25:44 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation: $125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of CPSC staff eliminated by the Bush administration’s FY2008 budget: 19

Number of Americans who are killed and injured annually by consumer products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC, respectively: 27,100, 33.1 million

Approximate number of hazardous toys recalled by Mattel Corp. on a single day in August 2007: 18.6 million

Percentage of lead in a charm removed from the digestive system of a Minnesota child who died from acute lead poisoning in 2006: 99

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Supports. The millions of dangerous children’s toys recalled in 2007 illustrate how many middle-class families are at risk from the hazardous products widely available on store shelves. By strengthening the CPSC and increasing the resources of an agency that has historically enjoyed stronger financial support, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act begins to respond to the problem. The provision limiting federal preemption of stronger state laws is critical to ensuring that consumers are as well protected as possible against dangerous products.

By providing the CPSC with additional funding through 2011, along with resources to improve its testing facilities, the legislation helps to ensure that consumer products will be properly tested by competent inspectors. Only a fully funded and fully staffed CPSC has any chance of protecting consumers from the more than 15,000 product types that the agency now oversees. The ban on lead in children’s products and the increase in the age level at which a product is considered to be intended for a child will benefit parents who would otherwise be unable to determine if a toy is safe. Independent third-party testing of children’s products prohibits manufacturers from certifying the safety of their own goods, a devious practice that sacrificed consumer safety for easy compliance. By improving the chain of information flowing from manufacturers through the CPSC to consumers, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act helps to ensure that consumers are protected from hazardous goods, knowledgeable about the dangers associated with a product, and informed if a product is recalled.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission: What Congress Intended”, from the Consumer Federation of America

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

“Trouble in Toyland: The 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety”, from U.S.PIRG

Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act of 2007

hmoroz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:25:44 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation: $125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of CPSC staff eliminated by the Bush administration’s FY2008 budget: 19

Number of Americans who are killed and injured annually by consumer products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC, respectively: 27,100, 33.1 million

Approximate number of hazardous toys recalled by Mattel Corp. on a single day in August 2007: 18.6 million

Percentage of lead in a charm removed from the digestive system of a Minnesota child who died from acute lead poisoning in 2006: 99

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission: What Congress Intended”, from the Consumer Federation of America

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

“Trouble in Toyland: The 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety”, from U.S.PIRG

Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act of 2007

hmoroz — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:25:44 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1974, the year the agency was created, as adjusted for inflation: $125 million

Appropriations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission requested by President Bush for FY2008: $63 million

Number of CPSC staff eliminated by the Bush administration’s FY2008 budget: 19

Number of Americans who are killed and injured annually by consumer products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC, respectively: 27,100, 33.1 million

Approximate number of hazardous toys recalled by Mattel Corp. on a single day in August 2007: 18.6 million

Percentage of lead in a charm removed from the digestive system of a Minnesota child who died from acute lead poisoning in 2006: 99

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission: What Congress Intended”, from the Consumer Federation of America

Recalls and Product Safety News from the CPSC

“Trouble in Toyland: The 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety”, from U.S.PIRG

Class Action Fairness Act of 2005

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:25:55 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Opposes

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Minimum ratio of federal judges in district courts to state judges in general jurisdiction courts as of 2003: 1:13
Number of cases pending in U.S. District Courts for three years or longer as of September 2003: 34,067
Minimum number of consumer groups signing on to a letter of opposition to S. 5: 68
Number of lobbyists retained by corporate interests to ensure a class action bill favorable to their interests, according to Public Citizen: 475
Number of such lobbyists from the insurance industry alone: 193
Likelihood that a class action case against a life insurance company will be certified and allowed to go forward in state court vs. in federal court: 2:1

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Opposes. While moving lawsuits from state to federal courts may seem harmless enough, in effect it will prevent many middle-class Americans injured by defective products, manipulated by deceptive marketing, or discriminated against by unfair employment practices from ever being able to hold corporate wrongdoers accountable. As a result, the threat of lawsuits will be less of a deterrent to corporations that engage in deceptive or discriminatory practices or seek to cut corners by skimping on product safety. Moving state cases to the federal courts is particularly harmful because it is state judges, not the federal judiciary, that are most familiar with the state consumer protection laws under which wrongdoers are sued. As a result, federal judges usually won’t certify cases based on state law, which effectively prevents even the most legitimate cases from ever being heard if they are forced into federal court. That means ordinary citizens have lost an important means of getting recourse to the laws their democratically-elected state legislators passed. To make matters worse, the federal courts are increasingly stacked with judges hostile to consumer and workers’ rights. What’s more, the federal courts are already overburdened, struggling to cope in a timely manner with the caseload already before them. Further clogging the federal system with state cases may slow down everyone’s access to justice. Finally, the “rights” guaranteed to plaintiffs by this Act, such as greater scrutiny for cases in which settlement terms cause plaintiffs to suffer a net loss, don’t actually provide as much new protection as it appears because they primarily duplicate already-existing provisions of the rules of civil procedure. Although provisions reining in low-value coupon settlements are positive, they don't warrant the bill's other very harmful provisions.

Product liability

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2008

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act of 2007