CPSIA - Save our Children?

In August of 2008, during the time that election and re-election bids were in full swing a campaigning was nearly all we heard in the media, a law was passed to “Save Our Children”. Now, I’m all for a law to “Save Our Children”…who isn’t? Can you imagine the stampede of congressmen and women to sign this thing? Can you imagine the amount of criticism for someone who wanted to look into it further before “Saving Our Children”? Once signed, they could relate to their voters that they helped “Save Our Children”. So now that it is signed and passed, it goes into full effect on February 10, 2009.

What this piece of legislation does is require testing of all products intended for children ages 12 years and younger. This, I have no problem with. It is the redundancy of the law that causes me (and many small business owners) great issue. The law states that all components of a product must undergo testing as well as any finished product. I have already obtained MSDS sheets stating CPSIA compliance for all of my supplies (below is a list compiled through an etsy.com forum of all suppliers thus far offering certification sheets). As of August 14, 2009, I will also have to send the first in each batch of bows to an approved third-party company to be tested before I can sell it to the public. Each time I test a “first of the batch” it will cost between $200-$500. This will in turn, force many small businesses to close due to the huge increase in overhead costs. The large companies that have caused the need for this law will not be fazed by the huge cost of testing since they mass produce their items and will only have to test the first one produced in a batch of thousands. For smaller businesses this poses a problem since we normally only produce maybe 5 of the same item and each one is handmade by us. We cannot ship internationally or in the US because our items will be deemed as containing a hazardous substance, and it is against the law to use the Postal Service to transport hazardous material.

Let’s face it, the age of toy trains that are tainted with lead paint, poisoned baby formula, and little dots that turn to GHB (the date rape drug) when mixed with saliva who doesn’t want to “Save Our Children”? My suggestion is to take a closer look at where those tainted and poisoned items were manufactured. Oh, no, we don’t have to look, because we all know where they were made, and it wasn’t in the United States. But yet, the CPSIA is going to hardest hit the USA handmade businesses.

Below is a list of links to help you contact your congressmen and women about this law. Please contact them and ask that this law be amended so that we can truly “Save Our Children” from growing up without handmade items.


Lawrence H. Summers is the Director of the National Economic Counciland Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.You can call the White House at Comments: 202-456-1111Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Attn: Henry Waxman2125 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515

(202) 225-2927

Ed Whitfield – congressman from Kentucky on the Committee on Energy and Commerce
http://whitfield.house.gov/
2411 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-3115 Voice (202) 225-3547 Fax

Article by Stephanie, of MoMo's Bows, who handmakes tons of super cute beanie caps (above)and curly, wonderful bows for little girls' hair. She works at home crafting her handmade goodness while enjoying watching her two sons and daughter grow up.

Learn more about the CPSIA at: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/legislation.html#summaries