Thursday, May 26, 2011

Is this YOUR Congressman? We need your help! A CALL TO ACTION

Cross-posted from HTA Member Milagros Boutique in Portland, OR.

The Handmade Toy Alliance has worked three long years to get to this point. Namely, getting a change to the Consumer Product Safety Improvment Act (CPSIA) that will stem the tide of tainted toys, almost all of which are imported, without imposing a regulatory environment on small, ethical manufacturers and crafters that will literally drive them out of business with red tape.

Since the day we opened our doors, we have been a staunch promoter of our local craft industry. We have been working side by side with countless local crafters trying to improve the CPSIA so that it does not put these small enterprises out of business. Your action to help save these small business is needed now more than ever.

How can you help?

A CPSIA amendment is currently in mark up in the Committee of Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives. This amendment should be presented for a vote in this committee soon but surprisingly, despite all the rhetoric about supporting Main Street, not a single Democrat has voiced support. If this does not change, thousands of small businesses stand to be sacrificed at the alter of partisan politics.

We NEED your help! We need bipartisan support for this legislation to have any hope of it progressing through both houses of Congress. If your Congressman is on this list below, please call them NOW! Ask them to support the CPSIA amendment known as the ECADA. Learn more about the amendment.

EVEN IF YOUR CONGRESSMAN IS NOT ON THE LIST, WE NEED YOU TO CALL NOW! Find you congressman and call BOTH their DC and local offices and urge them to support HR 1939!

Please share this post with your friends and family, post to your facebook page, tweet it, etc. If you value hand crafted goods, we need your help on this today!

Thank you!

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3 comments:

  1. LeighMay 27, 2011 at 6:17 AM

    My rep is on there so I'm ready to send an email, but can you give some sample talking points, or even a sample letter? I want to make sure I'm saying the right thing!

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  2. judiMay 27, 2011 at 7:24 AM

    Leigh, just so you know, a phone call has much more impact. If you don't have long distance try calling the local office. In a phone call you might try a statement like: "Please support HR 1939 and protect small businesses" In an e-mail you might add something about how much you value access to the products of local craftsmen over mass produced stuff manufactured overseas. I hope that helps.

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  3. Jill ChuckasMay 27, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    Great talking points Judi! You can also mention that as of right now, without an amendment to the CPSIA, handmade and small batch manufacturers face extinction. We need common sense change to the CPSIA to allow these products to remain in our culture. In addition, refer to our blog post from a few days ago: http://handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com/2011/05/hta-letter-of-support-for-hr-1939-ecada.html
    Jill Chuckas
    Crafty Baby
    HTA Board member

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