Political Quotes

“I wish today to support S. 2663, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act. The leadership of Senators Pryor and Stevens in negotiating this bipartisan compromise bill allows the legislation before the Senate today to move an important but beleaguered agency in the right direction. S. 2663 authorizes the appropriate level of resources and provides the new authorities necessary for the agency to do the job it was created to do: protect consumers. Mr. President, today the CPSC is broken. It is broken from years of neglect coupled with growth in volume and complexity of products and from a dysfunctional commission. Year after year, this agency is subjected to budget cuts and forced attrition of personnel. Today, it has less than half the budget and half the staff it had in its inaugural year of 1973. As a result, the CPSC is no longer properly equipped to carry out its essential mission of monitoring the marketplace and enforcing product safety standards. Making matters even more difficult, the number of products under its jurisdiction has grown exponentially in size and complexity. The commission is responsible for the safety of more than 15,000 products, including everything from infant cribs to computer components. Most of these products are safe. However, those that are not safe can be deadly. Each year, more than 28,000 Americans die and an additional 33 million are injured by consumer products.”