[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 186 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2007

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, the decorations are up, the parties are 
planned, and the nation's capital had its first snow fall--the holiday 
season is officially upon us.
  Along with the joy and reflection this time of year brings, children 
are waiting hopefully for that one gift that will make their holiday 
complete. As the dutiful, doting parents that we are, we are more than 
happy to oblige.
  But we may be giving our children more than they bargained for; 
recent studies have found more than one in three of the season's most 
popular toys have tested positive for traces of lead.
  While I may not know Dora the Explorer from Hannah Montana, I do know 
my grandchildren and great-grandchildren deserve toys that won't make 
them sick.
  This year has seen too many recalls, too many toys slipping through 
the cracks of the watchdogs at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 
and too many shelves still stocked with toys that pose a risk to our 
kids. This is wholly unacceptable!
  Back in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Department of the Environment 
has taken matters into its own hands, testing children's toys for lead, 
cadmium and other dangerous chemicals. With an instant-read testing 
device parents will know whether the toys on their list put their kids 
at risk.
  It is inconceivable that the agency put in charge of consumer 
protection for all Americans has so completely ignored its 
responsibility. It is an embarrassment that local government must 
rectify the ineptitude of the CPSC, though I congratulate San Francisco 
for its forethought and ingenuity.
  Madam Speaker, this is a dereliction of duty by the CPSC that I am 
not prepared to accept. I have cosponsored a resolution introduced by 
my friend from Connecticut, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, calling for the 
resignation of Nancy Nord, the current head of the Commission.
  Government watchdogs, retail outlets and the manufacturers themselves 
must take responsibility for the toys that end up on our shelves, and I 
will continue to demand that this holistic approach to keeping children 
safe is not ignored.
  Parents take their children's safety most seriously, and the 
resources that exist online and through numerous publications are a 
gift themselves. I hope all my constituents, and gift-givers across the 
country, will take advantage of the information available to them.
  I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year, and I hope everyone 
gets what they want for the holidays--without the lead.

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