Toy Stores, Toy Makers, and Makers of Handmade Goods for Children:
We urge you to join our discussion group and endorse our proposals. Or, write to us and we'll add you to our members list.
And, you can now join our facebook group.
Parents, grandparents, and concerned citizens:
Please Donate
Help us lobby Congress and the CPSC to improve the CPSIA.
Note: Donations are not tax deductible.
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Please write to your
United States Congress Person and Senator and the CPSC to request changes in the
CPSIA to save handmade toys and children's goods. Use our sample letter below or write your own.
You can find your Congress Person here and Senator here. Write to the CPSC here.
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And, Sign our petition!
Sample Letter:
From:
[your name and address]
To: [your congress person or
senator]
Re: The Consumer Product Improvement Act (CPSIA) will
result in a drastic deepening of the economic crisis
Dear
[your congress person or senator],
The
economic crisis in our country is distressing to millions of
Americans. That is why it concerns me that under the CPSIA, many
small business owners will be driven out of business, deepening the
crisis. The premise of self reliance and entrepreneurship on
which this country was founded is in jeopardy.
Like
many people, I was deeply concerned by the dangerous and poisonous
toys that large Chinese toy manufacturers have been selling to our
families. And, I was pleased that Congress acted quickly to
protect America's children by enacting the CPSIA.
However, I
am very concerned that the CPSIA's mandates for third party testing
and labeling will have a dramatic and negative effect on small
businesses whose safety record has always been exemplary. It
will devastate small manufacturers and home businesses who
create children's products such as clothes, handmade goods and toys
for children, beautiful Native American artifacts, children's books,
adaptive products for children with disabilities, and classroom and
homeschool materials. These small businesses simply cannot
afford the $300-$4,000 price tag per product that Third Party testers are
charging.
With the economic crisis we find ourselves in, fewer
families will be able to afford the higher costs of the goods that remain available. Any company that is able to remain in
business will undoubtedly raise prices due to increased compliance
costs. Everyone will have to pay more for the remaining available
goods, deepening the effects of the economic crisis for millions of
families.
I urge you to quickly request the Consumer Product
Safety Commission to make some very reasonable exclusions in their
interpretation of the law as they continue their rulemaking process.
These include exempting books and uncoated fabrics from testing and
allowing manufacturers to rely upon testing done by their materials
suppliers instead of paying for redundant unit-based testing. I would also like to see the CPSC be allowed to make risk based analysis instead of assuming risk unless proven otherwise. As the Wall Street Journal wrote, "The Commission needs to implement the rules without
putting more companies out of business in an already tenuous economy."
These
toy makers, crafters, publishers and small home based businesses have
earned and kept the public's trust. They provide jobs for
thousands and quality playthings and educational products for
hundreds of thousands. Their unique businesses should be
protected. Please visit www.handmadetoyalliance.org
to learn more about this issue.
Thank you for your attention
to this matter.
Sincerely,
[your
name]
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