House Proceeding on Dec 19th, 2007 :: 4:27:23 to 4:47:23
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4:25:06 to 4:27:23( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Joe Barton

4:27:07 to 4:27:23( Edit History Discussion )

Joe Barton: and commerce, my dear friend from michigan, mr. john dingell, for his leadership. this bill simply would not be possible without chairman dingell's guidance. of course, i want to thank the

4:27:23 to 4:27:36( Edit History Discussion )

Bobby L. Rush: distinguished ranking member of the committee, my friends, mr. barton, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, mr. stearns, for their incredible leadership and unwavering cooperation.

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John D. Dingell: i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this historic piece of legislation on this historic bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance

4:27:36 to 4:30:59( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John D. Dingell

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John D. Dingell: of his time. the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: we want to talk about this bill a little bit. not yield it, reserve it. mr. rush: i reserve the

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John D. Dingell: balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. barton: madam speaker, i want to start off by congratulating chairman john dingell. i have with me

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today's "congress daily," the little, one of the news periodicals that tracks what we do and on page seven, the headline is "house panel easily passes consumer safety legislation." it goesen

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John D. Dingell: to say that dingell said he plans to approach the speaker and ask her to put the ll on the suspension calendar because it passed committee 51-0 and the next paragraph, a leadership aide said it's

4:28:57 to 4:29:09( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: unlikely that the bill could come to the floor before congress adjourns for the year. well, i just want to congratulate the chairman for going to speaker pelosi and getting her to agree

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John D. Dingell: to put this bill on the floor before we go home because this bill shows how the congress should shd -- should work. it didn't pass 51-0 because of certain dipity. it passed 51-0 yesterday in the

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John D. Dingell: energy and commerce committee because staffs on both sides of the aisle at both the full committee and the subcommittee met for countless hours to negotiate the many compromises necessary

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John D. Dingell: to put the bill together. i want to especially compliment conswela washington, the majority council, chairman dingell's council that has worked so hard on this bill. if president washington

4:29:51 to 4:30:04( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: were still alive today, he would be very proud of her for the work that she's done because she's not only had to work with the minority staffers and members, she's also had to diligently

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John D. Dingell: work with the majority staffers and members as they sometimes were -- each side was pulling her in different directions and it's good to know she's all in one piece and doing well. this

4:30:17 to 4:30:32( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: bill will strengthen the consumer product safety commission. this bill will create a state-of-the-art testing laboratory to test the products and the toys that we sell to the american public.

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John D. Dingell: this bill will enhance the recall ability of the consumer product safety commission. this bill will enexpand the number of commissioners so that -- will expand the number of commissioners so we have

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John D. Dingell: a full commission again. this bill increases the fines that the consumer product safety commission can levee -- levy against companies that sell defective products. this bill has the toughest lead

4:30:59 to 4:31:13( Edit History Discussion )

Ellen O. Tauscher: standard in the world per products. i wish it were my line but it's not. chairman rush line on the lead standard in response to an amendment in committee to make it even tougher said that

4:30:59 to 4:32:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ellen O. Tauscher

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Ellen O. Tauscher: god himself, where he gave the 10 commandments to moses, that may have been the only holy ground in theorld that would have met this standard. i thought that was just priceless in terms of

4:31:27 to 4:31:36( Edit History Discussion )

Ellen O. Tauscher: trying to put in context how is it tough this standard is that the lord himself would have difficulty meeting the standard in the bill. so, this is a good work product. it was done the right

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Ellen O. Tauscher: way. negotiations with the stake holders, negotiations with members, negotiations with the staff, an open markup at subcommittee, adequate time between subcommittee and full committee, a manager's

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Ellen O. Tauscher: amendment that was circulated so that all members had a chance to see it, a full committee markup that lasted two days, numerous amendments that were offered, some withdrawn, some accepted,

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Ellen O. Tauscher: some modified and the result was the 51-0 vote that occurred in full committee yesterday and then again thanks to chairman dinkle's ability to get things done in -- dingell's ability to

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get things done in the house, a suspension calendar today so members on both sides of the aisle have an attempt to put their stamp of approval on this very important piece of legislation.

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i'm very proud to have played a small part in this process and i cannot urge in stronger language that we should pass this and send it to the other body so that they may also resip ro cate.

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i predicted at the press conference six weeks ago or two months ago that something very close to this bill will be on the president's desk. we will have a bill signing ceremony in the oval office

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or the rose garden on this legislation later in this congress. so i'm very pleased to endorse it. i again thank all members for their hard work. a special commendation to cliff stearns,

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the former ranking member of the subcommittee for his hard work. with that at that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the

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gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: i yield to the gentlelady from colorado, ms. degette, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from is recognized for two minutes. ms. degette:

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James P. McGovern: i want to thank the t distinguished chairman of the subcommittee, mr. rush, for yielding me this time and i want to congratulate him and my distinguished chairman, mr. dingell, for bringing

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Speech By: James P. McGovern

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James P. McGovern: this strong consumer protection bill to the floor so quickly. i also want to thank congresswoman delora who i have been working with and i'm thrilled to see it on the floor. madam speaker, this

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James P. McGovern: year we've seen the number of children's product and toy recalls rise dramatically. many of these recalls were because of excessive amounts of lead, which is a various -- very dangerous compound

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James P. McGovern: for children. as if parents didn't have enough to worry about this season, they're faced with another dilemma. are the toys that they are boying safe? today in the house we will act to make

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James P. McGovern: sure the answer to that ha question in the future is the resounding yes. back in september, with congresswoman dollarow, i addressed this issue. i want to commend the good work of the energy and

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James P. McGovern: commerce committee for incorporating many of the provisions of our bill, most of the provisions, in h.r. 4040, as it sits before us today. this bill takes a number of steps to protect kids under

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12. for example, it almost doubles the funding for the consumer product safety commission, which has been woefully underfunded and staffed. it bans lead in children's products and toys. it

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requires independent third-party testing and it bans industry-sponsored travel, which has been a scandal at the consumer product safety commission. passing h.r. 4040 today is a crucial first step in

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making sure that children are safe from dangerous products. as parents like us are rushing to finish their holiday shopping this weekend, they can rest assured that the u.s. house of representatives

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is oprn their side. i look forward to working with my colleagues early in the next session to make sure that e food parents are putting on their table is also safe. i yield back the balance

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of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentlewoman from texas -- the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: i yield five minutes to the former

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and now the ranking member of the subcommittee who is now the ranking member of the tell could he subcommittee, mr. stearns, of florida, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the

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gentleman from is recognized for five minutes -- the gentleman from florida voiced for five minutes. mr. stearns: i rise in support of this bill and as chairman barton has pointed out, it's

4:36:55 to 4:37:08( Edit History Discussion )

been bipartisan, with 51 people voting for it, no one voting against it. we had a contentious markup, particularly on several amendments. these amendments were defeated so that we had a little

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compromise involved. but a lot of americans should realize that the consumer product safety commission came into existence in 1973. as the agency to ensure consumer products. including toys,

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not to pose risk or injury to our families, illness or death to consumers. lots of times, products are not used properly and that causes a problem. and the consumer product safety commission cannot

4:37:29 to 4:37:48( Edit History Discussion )

James P. McGovern: guarantee safety if the consumers don't use the products properly. they have 15,000 different products -- products that they have to promulgate with standards. it has rarely had to promulgate

4:37:48 to 4:37:54( Edit History Discussion )

James P. McGovern: mandatory standards and can rely on voluntary standards that are developed by the industry itself. this bill, as mr. barton pointed out, is going to be signed in a very short order after we pass

4:37:54 to 4:38:07( Edit History Discussion )

James P. McGovern: this under suspension. many of the members on both sides talk about the growing compliance with short falls of toys manufactured outside of the united states, particularly in china. specifically

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James P. McGovern: our attention would focus on the spat of recalls which increased dramatically for toying with lead-based paints exceeding the united states' limit. this was a problem we have rarely seen. rarely

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James P. McGovern: seen in 30 years since we passed the federal ban on lead paint, lead-based paint. i'm pleased to report that retailers have stepped up to the pleat in testing in response to these -- plate in testing

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James P. McGovern: in response to these toys and that's good. imports of every type of product, crines -- increasingly account for our supplies of good, particularly from china. as our imports have risen, so

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James P. McGovern: have the number of problems that have been associated with these products that come in. but the consumer product safety commission has met this daunting challenge and you can imagine with 15,000

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James P. McGovern: different kinds of products, they've issued more recalls over the last two years than any other time in their history, despite this, we es recognize the need to provide the commission with

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James P. McGovern: additional resources, which we are doing today. we authorize significant increases in their budget so that the commission may fulfill their mission to keep defective products that can

4:39:35 to 4:39:48( Edit History Discussion )

David R. Obey: cause injury or worse, out of the stream of commerce. so i'm pleased to report the omnibus bill we passed this week includes the increased appropriations for this commission, so they're

4:39:35 to 4:42:37( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: David R. Obey

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David R. Obey: getting new resources. this bill is good public policy that not only provides the commission with to new resources but much, much more. it provides more new standards regarding lead paint, implements

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David R. Obey: the most stringent standard ever for lead content in children's products. the bill requires testing and certification of children's products before they are ever shipped to store shelves and provides

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David R. Obey: increased penalties for companies that violate the law. . the bill provides greater authority for the commission to recall harmful products and notify the public of these dangers. very important.

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David R. Obey: they had this extra recall authority. we worked with the consumer groups, industry, and the commission to make this a bipartisan, sound bill that works effectively. i commend chairman rush. i commend

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David R. Obey: obviously mr. dingell. i commend our ranking member, chairman barton on their willingnesto make this an open process. we talked about it. and the result is what we see today, a bipartisan bill

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David R. Obey: that will support the house. i urge my colleagues to support it. i look forward to its implementation into law. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman

4:41:30 to 4:41:45( Edit History Discussion )

David R. Obey: yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: madam speaker, i yield to the gentlelady from connecticut, the vice chairman of the democratic caucus, ms. delauro, two

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David R. Obey: minutes. the speaker pro tethmpore: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for two minutes. ms. delauro: madam speaker, when the toys our children play with are no longer safe, s government

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David R. Obey: must respond. today's bill represents a first step forward, an active response to an agency which has failed to take its regulatory responsibilities seriously for far too long. an agency that does

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David R. Obey: not understand its regulatory function. we are addressing the consumer product safety commission's mandate, and trying to reform it in a meaningful way. i have been proud to work with my colleague,

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David R. Obey: congresswomansw degette, and other colleagues from the energy and commerce comm ittee to hone, to strengthen this bill. we all recognize that the american people must be able to depe nd

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on the system responsible for protecting them. i especially want to thank congresswoman anna eshoo who fought to strengthen the mandatory recall provision governing products that pose

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an imminent hazard. this new authority will allow the cpsc to provide notice and halt distribution without protracted legal proceedings. i'm pleased that i could partner with my colleagues

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to strengthen this bill in other ways as well. requiring tracking labels and product registration cards for durable and nursery products. providing the additional resources the cpsc needs to

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get its act together. and instituting a band on industry sponsored travel. and providing for protections for children under the age of 12. i do not believe that we have gone far enough and that

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we must go further. and i look forward to mak ting this bill stronger still. working through the conference to address it's shortcomings. under this bill we must make it clear that states

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will not be preempted. attorneys general will not be limited when pursuing rementdies for penalty. at -- remedies. -- remedies for penalties. this is a problem we need to fix now. we should

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be bringing more allies to our fight, not fewer. also we need -- we are still not tough enough on third-party testing. there are still loopholes that leave manufacturers to conduct their

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own tests. the days of industry self-policing must come to an end. and i believe the current provision banning lead, although long overdue -- 30 seconds additional. thank you. the speaker

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pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. delauro: long overdue has problematic exemptions. health advocacy experts have testified to place its threshold at 40 parts per million and

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urge more timely implementation. with our children's health at stake we should listen to the experts. government has an obligation to its citizens. it's that simple. this bill represents a first

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step forward in meeting that obligation. striving to make sure dangerous toys and product does not slip through the cracks and into our children's hands. during this holiday season, we cannot

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afford to wait any longer. i urge a yes vote on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her time. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: may i inquire how much time

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i still control, madam speaker? the speaker pro tempore: number of minutes? you have 11 minutes remaining. the gentleman from illinois has ll 11 1/2. mr. barton: i would like to yield those 11 minutes,

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ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from illinois control six of those minutes. in fact i want to yield -- ask unanimous consent to yield of my 11 minutes, six of those minutes to mr.

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rush for him to control. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman has 17 1/2 minutes now. mr. rush: i want to thank the gentleman. le mr. barton: thank you. of the five minutes i

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still control, i want to yield the new ranking member of the consumer product -- consumer protection trade subcommittee, mr. ghitfield, two of those minutes -- whitfield, two of those

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minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for two of those minutes. mr. whitfield: i certainly want to congratulate chairman dingell, ranking member barton,

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chairman rush, and ranking member stearns, my good friend stearns. recently we have read many articles about products coming out of china whether it be wheat gluten, contaminated tooth pace,

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excessive lead in the paints of toys and all of us are quite excited about this legislation, h.r. 4040 for the reaffirmation that it makes in the consumer product safety commission. one thing

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i would like to point out and already people have already said it, but the new standards regarding lead paint implements the most stringent standard ever for lead content in children's products

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in this legislation. so this is an exciting day for the american people. i think it shows that congress does have the ability to meet very important problems facing our country. and i look forward