[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 11, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          TRIBUTE TO ANN BROWN

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 1994

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Ann 
Brown, the new chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC]. 
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to congratulate Mrs. Brown 
on her appointment.
  Several years ago an article in the Washington Post referred to the 
Consumer Product Safety Commission as ``the little agency that can't,'' 
in a parody on The Little Engine That Could. That article, citing the 
cuts in funding and reduced staff, may have reflected the state of the 
agency then, but it is very different now.
  The Clinton administration has renewed the commitment to the Federal 
Government to consumer product safety. The President has appointed a 
new chair for the agency, Ann Brown, who brings a long record as an 
effective advocate for product safety to the Commission. Acting quickly 
after her nomination, Mrs. Brown persuaded the Office of Management and 
Budget to increase funds for the agency by $1 million from the initial 
amount.
  Mrs. Brown has brought a new spirit and enthusiasm to the Commission. 
She has pointed the agency in a new direction.
  From now on the CPSC will be proactive, not reactive. It will be 
innovative in its ideas and in the use of its resources. It will not 
wait for deaths and injuries from dangerous products to pile up by the 
score before acting. It will reach out to prevent as many of these 
tragedies as it can.
  Under the leadership the CPSC will be action oriented, to achieve 
real gains for product safety. Moreover, she will target the most 
vulnerable in our society--children, the elderly and those with special 
handicaps. Improving their health and safety, will produce social and 
economic dividends for the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to pay tribute to an individual like Mrs. Ann 
Brown. I ask my colleagues to join me today in commending Mrs. Brown on 
her hard work and congratulating her on her appointment.

                          ____________________