White House against parts of consumer safety bill

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

White House against parts of consumer safety bill 39 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration has "serious concerns" about some provisions of a bill drafted by Senate Democrats to strengthen consumer product safety, a White House official said in a letter made public on Tuesday.

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The legislation is aimed at giving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission more money and authority to protect American consumers from unsafe products after the recent recall of millions of toys for lead paint and other hazards.

The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet later on Tuesday to finish drafting the bill.

"We have serious concerns with a number of provisions in the legislation as currently crafted," said Allan Hubbard, the president's economic adviser, in a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii.

The administration opposes the bill's plan to require mandatory compensation for whistle-blowers of 15 to 25 percent of any civil penalty imposed in a product safety case, the letter said.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071030/pl_nm/productsafety_usa_congress_dc

[pattmarty]

1. Yeah, "serious concerns" means it might actually do something to protect consumers.

[Robbien]

2. Head of Safety critical of a provision to ban lead from all toys

also from Think Progress:

She opposed making it easier to bring criminal prosecutions of companies that knowingly sell defective products and also criticized a measure that would make it easier for the commission to publicly disclose reports of faulty products.

[Vinca]

3. If it's going to impede the flow of cash into corporate coffers,

they'll oppose it. So what if little Jimmy dies from poison toothpaste and little Suzy's retarded from sucking on lead.