CPSIA

I've talked to so many crafters about this new law. I don't know all the particulars about it but I do understand it's going to hurt (to say the least) a lot of businesses and possibly make handmade items extinct.

To my understanding, if this law isn't amended crafters, like myself, will no longer be able to make and sell toys and wearables for children ages 0-12 years old without having their finished product tested for lead.

There is a possibility that this will be amended, but as of today, to my knowledge, this law will be in effect as of February 10, 2009. Of course, if nothing changes, I will have to change some of the things I offer to my customers.

Many have sent letters and emails asking for a this law to be reexamined. I found this letter to be interesting: http://tinyurl.com/7r4nn4

We can still make a difference by emailing, calling and writing to:

Henry A. Waxman
California- 30th, Democrat
2204 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-0530
Phone: (202) 225-3976
http://www.henrywaxman.house.gov/contact.htm

You have to read this blog posted by Kathleen at Fashion-Incubator:
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/dont-throw-yourself-under-the-cpsia-bus/

Here's a clip of an article that was written by Walter Olson, 1/16/09

'Scrap The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act'

"If someone you know volunteers at a thrift store or crochets baby hats for the crafts site Etsy or favors handmade wooden toys as a baby shower gift, you've probably been hearing the alarms about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
Hailed almost universally on its passage last year--it passed the Senate 89 to three and the House by 424 to one, with Ron Paul the lone dissenter--CPSIA is now shaping up as a calamity for businesses and an epic failure of regulation, threatening to wipe out tens of thousands of small makers of children's items from coast to coast, and taking a particular toll on the handcrafted and creative, the small-production-run and sideline at-home business, not to mention struggling retailers. How could this have happened?

"Congress passed CPSIA in a frenzy of self-congratulation following last year's overblown panic over Chinese toys with lead paint. Washington's consumer and environmentalist lobbies used the occasion to tack on some other long-sought legislative goals, including a ban on phthalates used to soften plastic.

The law's provisions were billed as stringent, something applauded by high-minded commentators as a way to force the Mattels and Fisher-Prices of the world to keep more careful watch on the supply chains of their Chinese factories.

"The first thing to note is that we're not just talking about toys here. With few exceptions, the law covers all products intended primarily for children under 12. That includes clothing, fabric and textile goods of all kinds: hats, shoes, diapers, hair bands, sports pennants, Scouting patches, local school-logo gear and so on. And paper goods: books, flash cards, board games, baseball cards, kits for home schoolers, party supplies and the like. And sporting equipment, outdoor gear, bikes, backpacks and telescopes. And furnishings for kids' rooms. "

"Barbed with penalties that include felony prison time and fines of $100,000, the law goes into effect in stages; one key deadline is Feb. 10, when it becomes unlawful to ship goods for sale that have not been tested. Eventually, new kids' goods will all have to be subjected to more stringent "third-party" testing, and it will be unlawful to give away untested inventory even for free.