PRODUCT SAFETY

Bills and resolutions

Business and industry: require businesses to warn employees, consumers, and the appropriate Federal officials of any product or service that poses serious danger to the public (see H.R. 322), H353 [19JA]

Chemicals: ban use of bisphenol A in food and beverage containers (see H.R. 432), H469 [25JA]

———ban use of bisphenol A in food and beverage containers for children, baby food, and infant formula (see S. 136), S125 [25JA]

Consumers: prohibit the sale of any product to a consumer that is subject to a recall (see S. 330), S682 [14FE]

Courts: eliminate the learned intermediary defense to tort claims based on product liability (see H.R. 542), H550 [8FE]

———restrict protective orders and sealing of cases, and allow disclosure of discovery information in civil actions to ensure disclosures relevant to public health or safety (see S. 623), S1826 [17MR] (see H.R. 592), H599 [9FE]

CPSC: exclude secondary sales, repair services, and certain vehicles from the ban on lead in children's products (see S. 69), S124 [25JA]

———exempt off-highway vehicles from certain lead prohibitions (see S. 1448), S5018 [28JY] (see H.R. 412), H468 [25JA]

———exempt ordinary books and paper-based printed material from certain lead limits (see H.R. 272), H201 [12JA]

———promulgate consumer product safety standards requiring child-proof closures on remote controls and other electronic products that use button cell batteries (see S. 1165), S3682 [9JN]

———provide with greater authority and discretion in enforcing consumer product safety laws (see H.R. 1939), H3342 [23MY] (see H.R. 2715), H5882 [1AU]

———require household cleaning products bear a label that contains a complete and accurate list of ingredients (see H.R. 3457), H7828 [17NO]

Drugs: improve safety (see H.R. 1483), H2603 [12AP] (see H.R. 3026), H6413 [22SE]

FCC: promulgate regulations requiring a label on packaging of certain baby monitors warning that signals may be intercepted by potential intruders (see H.R. 1752), H3107 [5MY]

FDA: enhance oversight of medical device recalls and provide for conditional clearance of certain medical devices (see S. 1995), S8602 [14DE]

———ensure appointments to advisory committees are made to promote scientific and technical expertise while minimizing conflicts of interest (see H.R. 3206), H6975 [14OC]

———enter into agreements with certain countries regarding methods and approaches to harmonizing certain regulatory requirements on devices (see H.R. 3230), H6976 [14OC]

———expedite process for requesting de novo classification of a device (see S. 1943), S8183 [5DE] (see H.R. 3203), H6975 [14OC]

———help prevent occurrence of cancer resulting from the use of ultraviolet tanning lamps by imposing more stringent controls on the use of such devices (see H.R. 1676), H2933 [2MY]

———improve humanitarian device regulation (see H.R. 3211), H6976 [14OC]

———make clarifications relative to persons accredited to review reports and make recommendations for initial classification of devices (see H.R. 3205), H6975 [14OC]

———promote development of medical devices for patients with rare diseases, improve medical device approval process, and lift profit cap on humanitarian use devices (see S. 1865), S7451 [15NO]

———provide predictability, consistency, and transparency to the premarket review process (see H.R. 3209), H6976 [14OC]

———reaffirm the Safe Medical Devices Act by requiring establishment of a schedule and issuance of regulations relative to device approval process (see H.R. 3208), H6975 [14OC]

———reduce regulatory burdens that unnecessarily delay new medical devices from reaching the market (see S. 1700), S6505 [13OC]

Food: strengthen Federal consumer product safety programs and activities relative to commercially-marketed seafood (see S. 50), S123 [25JA]

Foreign trade: require foreign manufacturers of products imported into the U.S. to establish registered agents in the U.S. who are authorized to accept service of process against such manufacturers (see S. 1946), S8183 [5DE] (see H.R. 3646), H8880 [13DE]

Health: ensure the FTC bears the burden of proof in false advertising cases involving dietary supplements and dietary ingredients (see H.R. 2045), H3755 [26MY]

———review claims about effects of foods and dietary supplements on health-related conditions and diseases (see H.R. 2044), H3755 [26MY]

———support regenerative medicine through research funding and commercial development and develop a regulatory environment that enables rapid approval of safe and effective products (see H.R. 1862), H3278 [12MY]

Labeling: require labels on children's sleepwear that indicate the sleepwear is flame resistant to include the chemical name of the flame retardant used (see S. 2012), S8734 [16DE]

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: require disclosure of information on the fair market value and safety of damaged motor vehicles (see H.R. 164), H39 [5JA]

NIH: research risks posed by dioxin, synthetic fibers, and other additives in feminine hygiene products and collect and analyze data on toxic shock syndrome (see H.R. 2332), H4527 [23JN]

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: prevent from establishing health care provider standards of care in medical malpractice or medical product liability cases (see H.R. 816), H1250 (see H.R. 816), H1362 [18FE]

Sports: encourage and ensure the use of safe football helmets (see S. 601), S1751 [16MR] (see H.R. 1127), H1905 [16MR]

Letters

CPSC Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database funding: Representative Barton, Committee on Energy and Commerce (House), H1321 [18FE]

Remarks in House

Committee on Small Business (House): accomplishments, H6787 [12OC]

Courts: eliminate the learned intermediary defense to tort claims based on product liability (H.R. 542), E199 [10FE]

———restrict protective orders and sealing of cases, and allow disclosure of discovery information in civil actions to ensure disclosures relevant to public health or safety (H.R. 592), H737 [14FE]

Cowles, Nancy: CPSC Chairman's Commendation Circle Award recipient, E2200 [7DE]

CPSC: hold Chinese manufacturers accountable for damages from installation of tainted drywall, H6259 [20SE]

———provide with greater authority and discretion in enforcing consumer product safety laws (H.R. 2715), H5823-H5828 [1AU], E1489 [2AU], E1502 [5AU]

———Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database funding, H1320-H1322 [18FE]

FDA: Center for Devices and Radiological Health funding, H4218 [15JN]

———help prevent occurrence of cancer resulting from the use of ultraviolet tanning lamps by imposing more stringent controls on the use of such devices (H.R. 1676), E778 [2MY]

Federal agencies and departments: exempt regulations protecting public health, environment, and food and workplace safety from agency rule reform, H8095, H8096 [2DE]

Government regulations: exempt rules related to food, workplace, or consumer products safety, or air or water quality from requirement of complete analysis of potential impacts of rules on small entities before implementation, H8046, H8047 [1DE]

Health: review claims about effects of foods and dietary supplements on health-related conditions and diseases (H.R. 2044), E972 [27MY]

———support regenerative medicine through research funding and commercial development of regenerative products and develop a regulatory environment that enables rapid approval of safe and effective products, H638 [10FE]

NIH: research risks posed by dioxin, synthetic fibers, and other additives in feminine hygiene products and collect and analyze data on toxic shock syndrome (H.R. 2332), E1174 [23JN]

Remarks in Senate

Chemicals: ban use of bisphenol A in food and beverage containers for children, baby food, and infant formula (S. 136), S203 [25JA]

Courts: restrict protective orders and sealing of cases, and allow disclosure of discovery information in civil actions to ensure disclosures relevant to public health or safety (S. 623), S1836-S1838 [17MR]

CPSC: exclude secondary sales, repair services, and certain vehicles from the ban on lead in children's products (S. 69), S181 [25JA]

———funding, S6993 [1NO]

———promulgate consumer product safety standards requiring child-proof closures on remote controls and other electronic products that use button cell batteries (S. 1165), S3688 [9JN]

———provide with greater authority and discretion in enforcing consumer product safety laws (H.R. 2715), S5199 [1AU], S5236 [2AU]

Food: strengthen Federal consumer product safety programs and activities relative to commercially-marketed seafood (S. 50), S163 [25JA]

Foreign trade: require foreign manufacturers of products imported into the U.S. to establish registered agents in the U.S. who are authorized to accept service of process against such manufacturers (S. 1946), S8186 [5DE]

Sports: encourage and ensure the use of safe football helmets (S. 601), S1754 [16MR]

Reports filed

Sunshine in Litigation Act: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate) (S. 623), S3170 [19MY]

———Committee on the Judiciary (Senate) (S. 623) (S. Rept. 112-45), S5248 [2AU]

Texts of

H.R. 2715, provide CPSC with greater authority and discretion in enforcing consumer product safety laws, H5823-H5826 [1AU]

S. 50, Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act, S163 [25JA]

S. 136, Ban Poisonous Additives Act, S204 [25JA]

S. 601, Children's Sports Athletic Equipment Safety Act, S1755-S1757 [16MR]

S. 623, Sunshine in Litigation Act, S1838 [17MR]