Lobbyists Square Off Over Toy Safety In Senate Bill

A lobbying fury over toy safety is underway as the National Association of Manufacturers and the Consumer Federation of American battle over reforms under consideration in the Senate for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The issue is the proposed Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, which would increase the agency’s funding to $155 million from $63 million by 2015, offer protection to whistle-blowing employees and create a public database to log product safety information and violations.

It would also allow state attorney generals to take court action against companies that do not comply.

The Senate measure has received a steady flow of bipartisan support after a slew of toy-industry scandals last year involving lead paint and other product recalls. The government was also plagued by reports accusing the safety commission of responding to incidents too slowly.
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