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GREENVILLE,
Ms, Inez Tenenbaum Chairman U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission 4330 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814
It has come to my attention that the Commission recently received recommendations from the Handmade Toy Alliance on ways in which the impact of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) on small batch manufacturers can be minimized to ensure producer compliance and prevent the shuttering of small businesses across the country. As you know, the goal of CPSIA was to enhance the safety of various products American children come in contact with on a daily basis. Though Congress had commendable intentions when passing CPSIA, it has become evident the legislation included many unintended consequences that my colleagues and I had not anticipated when we overwhelmingly supported this measure. Since the passage of CPSIA, I have spoken with numerous producers and consumers of children's items in my Congressional District, including members of the Handmade Toy Alliance. I am confident these local producers understand the intentions of CPSIA and would like nothing more than to comply with its requirements. However, many business owners feel it will be extremely difficult to meet these standards without relief from the Commission through its rulemaking process. I encourage the Commission to fully consider each of the recommendations submitted by the Handmade Toy Alliance, specifically the requests to extend the existing stay of testing and certification requirements for an additional year and not prosecute makers of one-of-a-kind items for failure to test their products - an expectation that is both physically and financially impossible for many producers. I appreciate your readiness to address the concerns of those affected by CPSIA like the hundreds of members of the Handmade Toy Alliance.
CHARLES W. DENT Member of Congress