CPSIA – Dingell Links

Barb from OH asked for links to pertinent past blogposts relating to John Dingell. Here are a few:

• (September 18, 2009) CPSIA – Dingell v. Tenenbaum (9-10-09 Hearing)
• (March 6, 2009) CPSIA – Important Letter to CPSC by Rep. John Dingell

There were quite a few public replies to Mr. Dingell in March. I published my replies on March 9 and March 13.

Read more here:
CPSIA – Dingell Links

Start Weightlifting, These Letters are Heavy

When Representative Dingell posted his letter to Acting Chair Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas Moore, there was a collective sigh of relief that someone not only asked such pointed questions, but also asked for a response. Yes, bills had been submitted to both the House and the Senate, but they were languishing and we needed to maintain our momentum in order to keep this issue top of mind in Congress.

And where many of us viewed these letters as correspondences only between these three individuals and not intended for interaction, Rick Woldenberg saw it as our opportunity.

What was a simple post and a simple request – respond to Dingell’s letter with your own answers to his questions – became an outpouring of letters that would require hundreds of pages of paper in order to hand-deliver them to Representative Dingell.

Many of these letters are included on this site, but they could not be reproduced in their entirety because of their sheer volume.

If you would like a copy of these letters in full for background research on your story, please send your request to webcontent@amendthecpsia.com. They tell a gripping story of micro, small, and large businesses affected by CPSIA.

Letter to Dingell: Cecilia of Craftsbury Kids

Below is the introduction of the letter that Cecilia of Craftsbury Kids wrote in response to Representative Dingell’s letter:

March 17, 2009

Dear Congressman Dingell,

I want to express my gratitude for the letter you sent to Nancy Nord and Thomas Moore, and the important questions you ask regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. As owner of a micro-business serving the children’s industry, I do not have the means to hire lobbyists, and having the support of lawmakers means so much. I have been working on the CPSIA issue for many months, and it encourages me to keep going when I read letters like yours. I would like to share with you, answers to some of the questions you pose, particularly those that affect my business specifically.

The letter in its entirety can be read on her blog Little Ida.

Letters to Dingell: Sarah N. of Curious Workmanship

Below is the introduction of Sarah’s response to Representative Dingell’s letter to Nord and Moore.

Dear Rep. Dingell;

I would like to thank you for your willingness to look into the destructive impact of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. This law, if it is allowed to stand as written, will work against government efforts to stimulate the economy and prevent job losses. As I am sure that you share the goal of preventing our nation from sliding into a depression, I hope you will support much-needed changes to this law.

I have read your letter to CPSC Commissioners Nord and Moore, and while I’m sure they will respond in a timely manner, I thought I might also add the information that I have on the subject. In my letter I will address four main failings of CPSIA: the short timeframe, the lack of consideration of actual safety, the impact of the retroactivity provisions, and the climate of fear it creates.

The entire letter can be found here on her blog.

Chairman Nord Responds to Dingell’s Letter

Letter from Acting Chairman Nord to Representative John D. Dingell about the CPSIA implementation, March 20, 2009 (http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/dingell032009.pdf)

Letter from Commissioner Moore

The Commissioners believe only they can make the right changes to the law and that congress shouldn’t bother.

Letter from Commissioner Moore to Representative John D. Dingell about the CPSIA implementation, March 20, 2009 (http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/dingell032009a.pdf)