Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Chair, on Wednesday, July 16, 2014, the House will complete its consideration of H.R. 5016, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. The bill includes two amendments that would weaken important consumer product safety protections. I strongly oppose both provisions, as well as the underlying bill.

One of the provisions would reduce funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by $2 million and increase funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) by $1 million. If that money would be dedicated to strengthening the CPSC's efforts to protect consumers, I might support it. However, it is the sponsor's intention that those additional CPSC funds be used to support the Commission's analysis of third-party testing to determine whether those requirements should be eased. That analysis has already been conducted by the CPSC. It sought public comment, reviewed the comments it received, and has so far not decided to revise its third-party testing requirements--a decision that is allowed under the statute. Throwing more money at the CPSC to redo an analysis it has already completed is a waste of taxpayer dollars, and it would do nothing to further the Commission's role of promoting the safety of American consumers.

The other provision would prohibit funds from being used by the Commission to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed ``voluntary recall'' rule. It would limit the CPSC's ability to explore possible changes that could reduce or eliminate recall delays, make recall notices more effective, or address the small number of firms that do not follow through on agreed-upon corrective action plans. While we have seen significant improvements in recalls since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was signed into law almost six years ago, there is no justification for preventing the CPSC from continuing to enhance the voluntary recall process.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission plays a critical role in protecting all Americans from hazardous products. This mission is too important for Congress to constrain CPSC's flexibility in determining, through an open and responsive process, the best way to carry out its goals.

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