Barbara Boxer: Commerce Committee Passes Boxer Child Safety Amendments

Provisions would give parents better access to toy and product safety information

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – The Senate Commerce Committee today included two important child safety amendments by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007, legislation to double the agency’s funding and give it greater authority to inspect and recall products, especially children’s products and toys.

Boxer’s first amendment requires the same “choking hazard” warnings printed on toy packaging to be displayed prominently along with the toy information on online retail websites, as well as in catalogues.

Boxer said, “I want to thank Congresswoman Nita Lowey for her leadership on this issue. There are so many toys out there that are choking hazards, yet we currently have no rules about posting warnings with their sale on the internet. This amendment will help close this dangerous loophole in the law and give parents the information they need to keep their children safe, especially as toy sales on the internet continue to rise.”

Boxer’s second amendment would require that durable infant and toddler products, such as cribs, high chairs and strollers, come with a postage-paid recall registration card attached to the product. This will allow consumers to voluntarily register themselves with the manufacturer so they can be contacted should a safety problem arise or recall take place.

The legislation named the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, passed the House by voice vote on October 9th. Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Fred Upton introduced the bill in honor of 17-month old Danny Keysar, who died when his Playskool Travel-Lite portable crib collapsed—five years after the CPSC had ordered it off the shelves because it was dangerous.

Boxer said, “This amendment will help prevent death and unnecessary injuries to our children by making it easier for parents to receive information on safety recalls.”

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 61 children under the age of five die each year in incidents associated with nursery products. In 2005, an estimated 59,800 children in the U.S. under the age of five were treated in emergency rooms for injuries associated with nursery products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007 now goes to the full Senate for its consideration.

Source: Senator Barbara Boxer