Durbin Announces Congressional Oversight Hearing On Toy Safety

Press Release

Durbin Announces Congressional Oversight Hearing On Toy Safety

US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will hold a congressional oversight hearing on the issue of toy safety following nearly two months of toy recalls. Durbin, who chairs the Subcommittee, called the hearing to focus on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) ability to protect American consumers. The hearing will deal with recent recalls of children's toys, efforts to improve the safety of imported products, and CPSC's budget and statutory authority. Durbin will also discuss proposals to modernize the consumer protection agency. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007, at 10:00am.

Witnesses at Wednesday's hearing include Commissioners Nord and Moore of the CPSC; Bob Eckert, CEO of Mattel; Jerry Storch, CEO of Toys "R" Us as well as representatives of the Toy Industry Association, American National Standards Institute and Consumers Union. A representative of the Chinese government has also been invited to testify about problems with products imported from that country.

"Most American families think the Senate and the House, Congress and the President are protecting them, that we are doing our job. Instead of growing to meet challenges it's facing, CPSC is shrinking as the challenge grows. But when only one out of every hundred shipments coming into this country is inspected, when we have some ports where the volume of imports overwhelm the one or two inspectors on the job, then, frankly, we're not keeping faith with the American people," Durbin said. "We need a consumer protection agency that is up to the challenge of protecting consumers. And manufacturers and retailers need to agree to a tough set of internal standards to ensure that the products on our shelves are safe."

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