Feds Finally Get One Right: Kids' Books Exempt from Lead Law
RSSBy SLJ Staff
The unexpected vote comes as a welcome relief for publishers and the American Library Association (ALA), who had argued for the past three years—ever since CPSIA was enacted in August 2008—that kids' books didn't pose a threat to public safety. "We're very grateful to the Congress for recognizing that library books present no danger to children and for passing legislation which frees school and public libraries from unnecessary regulation," says Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA's Washington Office. CPSIA was originally enacted to protect children from the dangers associated with products containing high levels of lead by establishing lead standards and testing requirements, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission had interpreted CPSIA to apply to all children's books. If Congress had not approved the recent amendment, libraries would have been required to restrict access to their children's book collections. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe. Maybe next they'll take up powersports. The CPSIA has severly crippled the market for junior dirtbikes (kid's motorcycles), because, you know, kids might eat motorcycles.
Last I checked motorcycles aren't food, guess Congress still hasn't figured that out.
Who were the two Congressvermin that voted against passage? It appears that the "no" votes were Dennis Kucinich, D-OH
& Bobby Rush, D-IL. Maybe they fell asleep & hit the
wrong button? Got confused over what "no" meant?
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/112/house/1/68
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Although members of Congress may have stopped short of a group hug, they were nearly unanimously on the same page. By a vote of 421-2, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that excludes "ordinary" children's books and learning materials from testing for lead content. And the Senate quickly followed suit in a voice vote, sending the bill on to President Obama to sign into law.
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Posted by Mike on August 8, 2011 04:10:12PM
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