CPSIA - Where are We Now?

I wanted to give you a sense of where the CPSIA amendment effort is right now.  Congress was off on holiday and is now back at work.  While the Members were out, staff on the House Energy and Commerce Committee continued to work on language to broker a solution to the impasse over the CPSIA amendment.  There are continuing discussions with all stakeholders, including consumer groups and the like, and some progress seems to be possible.  That said, the strategy is to craft an amendment that can pass or at least be considered in the Senate.  If the House passes something that the Senate won't consider, nothing will have been achieved. 

There seems to be little doubt that everyone wants to do "something" but what that is remains to be seen. The consequences of the April 7th admission by the consumer group zealots that NO LEAD-IN-SUBSTRATE VICTIMS CAN BE IDENTIFIED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AT ANY TIME seems to be basically nil.  The Republicans didn't need to be convinced, and the Democrats are so close-minded that it really didn't matter what testimony the zealots gave.  The Dems are against making changes, regardless of the shocking and shameful absence of data to support their position.  They're like weathermen - they are not bothered by being wrong.

Please note that video of the April 7th CPSIA hearing has yet to be released.  I have requested a copy of the video and will make it available to you if I can ever get it.

While the worm turns glacially in Congress, the CPSC is purportedly hard at work trying to complete the ironically-named "15 Month Rule" (originally due in November 2009).  This is the scorched Earth, death-to-business rule originally put out in draft form.  The CPSC wants to complete it now because they too are apparently deaf to our pleas.  Expect the worst sometime soon.  This adds to the urgency of the stalled negotiations on the CPSIA amendment.