Legislation Will Keep Kids Safe, Responds to Consumer Safety Issues
Rep. Matsui Votes To Protect America’s Children
October 16, 2007
Last week, in a response to a growing number of consumer safety issues, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-05) voted to strengthen consumer safety regulations and keep America’s children safe. The House passed major legislation mandating greater safety for children’s products and holding irresponsible companies accountable for endangering the well-being of American consumers. These bills collectively mandate safer baby products, improve pool safety, and impose stiff fines on irresponsible companies.
“There has been alarming news lately of unsafe products entering the U.S. and ending up in the hands of innocent children. In Congress, it is our responsibility to take measures to keep American citizens safe, and this legislation does just that,” said Rep. Matsui.
Over the last several days, the U.S. House of Representatives passed:
The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, which protects children from unsafe cribs, high chairs and other durable infant and toddler products. It requires direct consumer notification of recalls of a defined list of 12 such products.
The Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act, which provides better incentives for companies to report safety problems with their products. It increases the maximum civil penalty for violations of the Consumer Product Safety Act from $1.82 million to $10 million over two years.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which acts to protect children from drowning. It requires the use of proper drain covers in pools and spas, and creates a safety grant program to encourage states to adopt comprehensive safety laws. Drowning is the second-highest cause of accidental deaths among American children, ranking right behind automobile accidents.
The Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, which protects children from death or serious injury from burn hazards by requiring child-resistant caps for all gasoline containers. A study has shown that in a single year, more than 1,200 young children are treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to gasoline.
“This is but a first step. What we are doing in Congress is enacting good legislation to make a down payment for a safer, better America. Soon, we will consider legislation to ban lead in toys, and require tough independent testing of children’s products,” said Rep. Matsui.
