Response from Senator Casey re: CPSIA

Here is the response that was received from Senator Casey regarding the Lead Law (CPSIA):

Dear Mrs. Currens:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. I appreciate hearing from you.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was signed into law on August 14, 2008. The purpose of the legislation is to prevent dangerous goods from being manufactured and sold to children, through better screening of noncompliant products and more effective product recalls. I supported this legislation because I believe it promotes greater safety in children's products.

Originally the law was set to take affect on February 10, 2009. However, due to ongoing questions about the law's interpretation and implementation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements. Under this new timeline, manufacturers and importers of children's products do not need to test or certify their products until February 10, 2010. Retailers are still expected to meet the lead and phthalates standards but will not have to test or certify that each product meets the new standard. These actions follow an earlier decision on January 8, in which the CPSC announced an exemption for resellers, determining that thrift and consignment stores are not required to test products prior to resale. As always, businesses that resell children's goods are encouraged to exercise judgment in removing noncompliant products and continue to follow all product recall advisements.

I understand that confusion still clouds the implementation process. Recently, President Obama nominated, and the Senate unanimously confirmed, Inez Tenenbaum as the chairwoman of the CPSC. In addition, President Obama has announced his intention to increase the number of agency commissioners to five from three and substantially increase the CPSC budget. I am confident that these additional resources will greatly improve the CPSC's ability to respond to concerns with the law.

Please be assured that I will continue to monitor the rule-making decisions of the Commission and promote quick decision-making. If you have specific questions about the law, please visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia or call (301) 504-7923 to speak with a Commission representative.

Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.

If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

The Mixed Media Show was a success!

Great news; the Mixed Media Show went well!

Some of the Sisters who were present were able to sell some of their handcrafted items. In fact, it went so well that we will probably do this again! For future Mixed Media Shows, please contact Ursula.

Mixed Media Art Show and Sale Update

At this point, Sewin' Sisters Sowing has requests for 9 tables. The Rutherford House has had several requests for tables, too. So it looks like the arts will be well represented. Now we just pray that folks will attend this event!

Please don't forget to give me a call and request a table. I only have about 4 tables requested for the core group and need to make sure there will be enough tables for us, too! Thanks!

Ya'll come!