The United States Senate recently passed S. 2663, the Consumer Products Safety Commission Reform Act (“CPSC Reform Act”), which aims to provide increased protection for children’s products, improved screening of noncompliant consumer products and more effective consumer product recall programs.
This bill compliments H.R. 4040, passed by the House last December, with stricter enforcement mechanisms and increased funding for the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The Senate’s version also raises the civil penalty cap per series of violations from $1.8 million to $20 million, while the House version would only raise the penalty limit to $10 million.
The CPSC Reform Act essentially bans lead content in toys and mandates independent testing of children’s products, with particular attention to nursery products. In addition, the CPSC Reform Act offers protections to whistleblowers and deputizes State Attorneys General to seek injunctive relief against violators of the CPSC Reform Act. Also included is the establishment of a publicly available database of accidents related to consumer products and a system of standardized recall notices to inform parents about dangerous products, refunds and replacements.
