Just a few minutes ago I was on my review teams blog and I read about this new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This act was signed into law in August but will not take effect until Feb. 10th, 2009.
What this law basically says is that items that come in contact with a child who is 12 years old or younger, has to be tested at a government approved testing facility and have a certification placed on it.
Clothing, handmade toys (like those cute bibs people sell made out of towels), blankets, even books and DVDs will fall under this law. So a crib could run into the $1000’s just to be tested. If someone wants to get a book tested it could cost them $500.00. It’s not written very well and it was written in regards to the imports from China however, you know how these types of laws go, it applies to the USA or anywhere the item was made.
This would include those of us who make gift items for baby’s or children, the grandma who sells her cute little knitted sweaters for a few bucks, Amazon.com, used merchandise like Salvation Army or Goodwill, who I have heard has decided to no longer sell children’s stuff in their stores, even Amazon.com will not sell any books, used or new, that was made prior to 2009. And you know all those reviews you have been reading? A lot of them are Ma and Pa type businesses. Come on they can not spend $500.00 on 1 book to have it tested, so most likely they will end up closing their doors or have their product tested and we will have to absorb the cost. And all the curriculum that we do not use…we can not re-sell it!
I got some links of interest off of Learning at his Feet, Shanna’s blog. She is on the review team with me. So thank you Shanna for doing this research.
**A pdf file of the actual act. Very loooooooooooong.
**Here is a link to another article interesting article which provides you with the address for the
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
**Here is a link to an article interviewing a homeschool mom of 13 who will have to close her
home-based used book business.
**Here is a link that has lots of information about how this will effect the “Homemade” industry
as well as a button that you can put on your blog.
**Here is a Face-group site working to fight against it.
**A Petition to sign if you do not like this new law.
**Here is what the LA Times had to say.
**Here is a link to the list of The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer
Protection.
If any one of these Representatives are YOUR representative, PLEASE call & email
them to voice your concerns about the provisions in the law as they affect you and the
children’s products industry in general:**Please read this article by Heather Idioni from the Homeschool Newsletter for parents titled, “The Sale of Children’s Books to be Banned”
PLEASE write your congress person here… and your Senator . Also contact the CPSC about the CPSIA.
Here is a very simple letter that Shanna put together for her representatives……
To (name of Representative)I have recently read about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and I am deeply concerned. I am a mother of six young children and know what it is like to worry about the safety of the products and toys that they are being exposed to. That being said, I am also a consumer of many small businesses that would be put out of business due to this law being passed. I could not count the number of books, toys, curriculum, and other products that we currently use and love that would literally disappear as a result of this law…products from small businesses that have been used in our home and others for many years without any safety issues. I have come to trust these companies to provide safe and quality products for our family.I am writing to tell you that I am opposed to the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act as it is currently written and urge you to change it before it goes into effect! I have no interest in seeing the American home-based businesses that I know and love and the children’s consignment shops, not to mention America’s entrepreneurial spirit, vanish from this great nation.Sincerely,Shanna (last name)Address**UPDATE: As of today…there may be relief for resellers of used items:http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.htmlStill nothing for home-based businesses marketing new products.**
While I appreciate the government looking out for the welfare of our children, and love the idea that of having some more stringent laws on imports, all to often, these types of things end up being more about the profit an individual or company makes at the expense of good hard working people like you and me.
And like all new laws, please make sure you do your research. Never take what some else has written as whole truth until you have looked at all the side of it yourself!
Again I want to thank Shanna for all the time she put in researching all those links. You can visit her blog and see what her thoughts are on this matter.
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