I wrote a little while back about the CPSIA and how it affected small businesses and crafters. As I've continued my research I've learned that it goes way beyond just that. Books are included in the new bans. Not just new books for sale (that's bad enough) but ALL books for kids - so we're talking libraries and schools here.

Here is a little background about the book issue from a writer at Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/22/cpsia-waxman-cpsc-oped-cx_wo_0122olson.html Just click "Skip this welcome screen" and you'll be taken to the article, you don't have to sign in or anything. There are 2 other parts to the Forbes articles. Type CPSIA into the search bar on Forbes.com if you want to read all 3.

At first I really thought congress couldn't be THIS insane. I mean, who is approving closing down children's libraries? That's just stupid. Then I visited the American Librian Association's website. It's real.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/issuesadv/cpsia.cfm
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/january2009/wocpsc.cfm
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/woissues/governmentinfo/cpsia/index.cfm

If the librarians of the country are mobilizing, I'm kinda worried. We have a huge stack of children's books checked out right now. We rely on our children's library so much as homeschoolers.

Another aspect of the law that's causing lots of confusion is how it applies to thrift and second hand stores. The CSPC recently exempted thrift shops from testing requirements, but not from any other aspects of the law. So they do not have to test, but if they are caught selling something with lead in it, they will be subject to all the penalties. Since they don't always know where the toys and clothes they get in donations come from, many are choosing not to carry children's items anymore so they won't have this huge risk. I know of at least 2 children's consignment shops being forced to close by their insurance carriers who won't cover them anymore.
In this economy, I hate that people who rely on thrift shops for clothes for their kids are going to be so hurt.

So I urge everyone to write to your representatives in Congress and ask them to postpone implementation of this act until it can be amended and fixed. It just is too far reaching and full of unintended consequences. I don't believe they will have the problems worked out by the Feb 10th deadline.

My optimistic nature really wants to believe that someone in Washington will come to their senses and rework this thing to be logical, but so far they aren't giving me a lot to feed that hope with. So my cautious brain parts wrote this post. And to make things even easier for you to contact your reps., here ya go:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Thanks all.

Rick Woldenberg and the CPSIA

Regarding my previous post about the implications of the new act on small manufactures: I found this other blog post by Rick Woldenberg that says everything so much better than I can. He doesn't think the act should be amended, he believes it should be repealed altogether, and makes some damn fine points as to why.

The main point he makes is that lead paint was already illegal. So the problem was never that we didn't have laws preventing the problems with the lead contaminated toys of 2007, it was that we didn't enforce those laws. A new, more complicated, vague law that will be even more difficult to enforce and put thousand of American manufactures out of business even though not one American manufacturer caused a problem makes no sense.

To read his wonderful post on the subject, please see here:
http://learningresourcesinc.blogspot.com/2009/01/cpsia-emperor-has-no-clothes.html

Also, to help bring this issue to the attention of the Obama administration, please take a moment to vote here:
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

Thank you.