[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21085]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING RONALD G. YELENIK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 14, 2010

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ronald G. 
Yelenik, Assistant General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel 
at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Mr. Yelenik is 
retiring after 35 years of distinguished service at the CPSC.
  Mr. Yelenik began his career at the CPSC in 1975. Prior to joining 
the CPSC staff, he was a Law Professor at Antioch School of Law, a 
Director of East New York Legal Services, a staff attorney at 
Brownsville Legal Services, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica.
  Mr. Yelenik has held various legal positions at the CPSC, chiefly 
within the Office of Compliance and Field Operations, and most recently 
in the Division of Compliance within the Office of the General Counsel. 
He currently manages a staff of 12 attorneys, providing leadership in 
devising legal strategies to ensure that manufacturers, importers, 
distributors, and retailers of dangerously defective and hazardous 
products are held responsible for harm caused to consumers. Over the 
years, he has been an excellent mentor to staff attorneys and legal 
interns.
  Over the course of his long and distinguished Federal career, Mr. 
Yelenik helped negotiate numerous major product recalls with such firms 
as Wal-Mart, Cosco, and Fisher-Price. The Fisher-Price recall involved 
ten million battery-powered Power Wheel ride-on cars that presented a 
fire hazard to children. This toy recall was one of the largest and 
most expensive recalls in CPSC's history.
  Mr. Yelenik has also served as lead counsel in some of the largest 
monetary civil penalty cases in the CPSC's history for reporting 
violations under section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. The 
cases include a $4 million civil penalty against the McDonald's 
Corporation in 1999; a $1.75 million penalty against Dorel USA (Cosco/
Safety 1st) in 2001; and a $1.1 million penalty against Fisher-Price in 
2001. In 2009, he negotiated a $2.3 million civil penalty against 
Mattel for multiple violations of the lead paint ban in children's 
products. The Mattel violations were one of the catalysts that led to 
the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
  During his tenure at CPSC, Mr. Yelenik has played a major role in 
protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury posed by 
consumer products. He has demonstrated inspiring leadership and has 
been a valued employee at the CPSC.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to thank Ronald G. Yelenik for his 
honorable service to our Nation and I wish him a rewarding retirement.

                          ____________________