Engaging in the process of CPSIA reform

During the past several days, we've been working on understanding and reacting to Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) draft CPSIA technical correction bill. After over a year of activism, we were extremely pleased to see that Waxman's Commerce Committee has begun to address the unintended consequences of the CPSIA, especially the effects on small batch manufacturers.

We recognize that this bill is only the beginning of a long and imperfect process. And, we know that whatever emerges from this process may not contain everything we've been asking for. But, we feel that our input has been heard and continues to be considered, as evidenced by the bill's third party testing exemptions for "low volume manufacturers". Although this bill represents a true milestone for our cause, we feel that the draft bill's definition of "low volume" should be adjusted to reflect the per-unit testing costs of products produced in small batches rather than the overall size of the company. We are actively working on sharing those concerns with Waxman's office. Hopefully, we can arrive at a workable solution.

None of us in the Handmade Toy Alliance are lobbyists. In fact, we are all looking forward to the day we we can stop lobbying and go back to making and selling goods for children. But, we've been arguing for relief from third party testing requirements for small businesses from the beginning and we intend to keep trying until we succeed. For now, we feel that this draft bill should be viewed as the beginning of a process. And, we are extremely grateful to be included in that process.