Letter from my congressman showing his concern for small business and his
understanding of the real world



MITCH McCONNELL

KENTUCKY

361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON. DC 20510-1702

(202) 224-2541

January 13, 2009












REPUBLICAN LEADER

COMMITTEES.

AGRlCUL TURE

APPROPRJA nONS
RULES AND ADMINISTRATION







Mr. Curran Copeland
795 Rockcastle Road

Cadiz, Kentucky 42211-9353

Dear Mr. Copeland:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the safety of U.S. consumer products
such as toys and
food. Hearing your views helps me represent Kentucky in the United States
Senate.

As you know, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent
regulatory
agency established in 1973 to protect the public from unreasonable risks of
injury from consumer
products and to promote research into the prevention of product-related
harms. Similarly, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the u.s. Department of Agriculture's
Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) administer the federal government's food
regulatory system. While
FSIS inspects meat, poultry, and processed egg products, FDA inspects all
other items to ensure

safety and proper labeling.
'

During 2007, several categories of imported items drew concern and scrutiny,
ranging from toys
with excessive amounts of lead to contaminated pet food. Like you, I believe
that the items sold
to American families must always be safe. As such, the federal government
has taken additional
steps to improve the safety of U.S. imports. For example, in 2007, the Food
and Drug
Administration issued warnings and announced import controls on various
imported items such
as pet food, farm-raised seafood, toothpaste, and other products found to
violate U.S. health and
safety regulations. And, in 2008, Congress passed and the President signed
H.R. 4040, the
CPSC Reform Act. The CPSC Reform Act helps promote safety by providing
further oversight
fOJ product testing before products are placed on the market.

In your correspondence, you expressed your concerns regarding the product
regulations
promulgated in accordance with the CPSC Reform Act. As you may know, the
regulations
required by the CPSC Reform Act become effective on February 10, 2009. Some
observers,
including some small businesses that manufacture toys and clothing: argue
that the regulations
will result in the loss of pre-February 2009 inventories as well as impose
significant compliance
costs. However, proponents of the new standards support them as important to
safety. On
January 8, 2009, the CPSC announced that the new regulations would go into
effect on February
10, 2009, to regulate the amount of lead and other potentially harmful
substances in consumer
products. The new standard for lead content will be phased in so that some
products created
before February 10, 2009, will still be permitted on store shelves until
August 9, 2009._







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Page 2

January 13,2009

I appreciate you sharing with me your concerns regarding the CPSC
regulations. Please rest
assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind should the full u.s. Senate
again consider CPSC
legislation in the III th Congress.

Again, thank you for contacting me to share your views on product safety.
Please do not hesitate
to keep me informed of issues that are important to you.

Sincerely,

~~

MITCH McCONNELL
UNITED STATES SENATOR

"