CPSIA

I just sent this to a bunch of radio stations. I hope that something we can do will stop this law from going into affect, or CutieFruity will no longer be able to carry the When I Grow Up bibs. If you know any politicians or media personnel, make sure they know about how the Childrens Product Safety Improvement Act will affect small businesses like mine.


I'm sure we all remember last year when toys tainted with lead paint were imported from China. As a parent, I was concerned that dangerous toys were in my child's toybox. After this scare, congress quickly drafted and passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). This act is planned to be implemented into law on Feb 10, 2009. Many crafters are calling this Bankruptcy Day.

This new law bans lead and other chemicals from childrens products and requires third party testing and certification for all goods for children under the age of twleve. It sounds like a good law that will protect our children. However, this third party testing will prove to be very costly and detrimental to small businesses like mine across the country.

I make and sell baby bibs and other childrens products online and at craft shows. According to this new law, I would have to send a sample of every lot of every style of my 14 different bibs out for third party testing, at a cost of hundreds of dollars each, even though they have never posed a risk for lead poisoning. This may be feasible for large corporations who manufacture a thousand toys at once, but I only make and sell a handful at a time.

I don't want the goverment to have to worry about my family. They don't have to create a job for me since I am self-employed. My husband was laid off this winter and we get by with what we need because I have this business. How can my business continue after this law is enacted? Many crafters are asking this same question. Where will the CPSIA leave me? (answer: jobless and reliant on the government)

I encourage you to research this law further and discuss it on your program. Small business owners are outraged by the CPSIA and it's evident on blogs and forums all over the internet. I hope that if people outside of the online handmade community become aware of this, it can be amended before it is enacted into law. Please help us save our livelihoods and tell Americans about this act while we still have time to change it.

You can find out a little bit more about the CPSIA at http://www.etsy.com/storque/media/bunker/2009/01/CPSIA-Etsy-Resources.pdf or just google CPSIA.

Thanks so much for all you do. I am inspired to be a better American by listening to your program.

Sincerely,
Paula Taylor
owner of CutieFruity
http://cutiefruity.etsy.com