Handmade Toy Alliance pushes for Senate hearing
By Staff -- Playthings, 10/30/2009 10:54:00 AM
STAMFORD, Conn.—The Handmade Toy Alliance this week was one of 40 organizations calling for Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas to hold an open hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee to address the consequences of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) on small manufacturers and retailers.
The HTA endorsed a letter dated Oct. 28, 2009, from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to Senator Pryor urging him and his committee to review implementation of the CPSIA. Although a hearing was held in the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection last month, only one witness, Inez Tenenbaum, Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, was called to testify.
“This is just another reminder to our members of Congress that the issues plaguing small businesses and the hand crafted community from the CPSIA have not gone away,” Jill Chuckas, Secretary of the HTA and owner of infant products manufacturer Crafty Baby said. “A hearing that fully discusses these issues needs to be held very soon.”
Dan Marshall, HTA Vice-President and co-owner of Peapods Natural Toys, added: “At this point, there is not enough time for the CPSC to issue enough rulings to help small batch manufacturers address their compliance issues prior to the lifting of the stay on February 10, 2010. Congress needs to begin an active hearing process that engages manufacturers large and small in a meaningful way and finally correct this law.”
The Handmade Toy Alliance is a grassroots alliance of 395 retail stores, toymakers and children's product manufacturers that want to preserve consumer access to unique handmade toys, clothes and all manner of small batch children's goods in the USA. The group was formed in November of 2008 in response to the CPSIA.
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