[Libs-Or] Congress clears bill that protects libraries from enforcement of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

[Diedre Conkling]

This issue has been of concern for many of us, especially those in public
libraries with children's collections.  This is very good news.

------------Congress clears bill that protects libraries from enforcement of
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
Posted on August 2,
2011<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2011/08/congress-clears-bill-that-protects-libraries-from-enforcement-of-consumer-product-safety-improvement-act/>
by Jenni Terry <http://www.districtdispatch.org/author/jterry/>|

After three years, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) issue
has been resolved! On August 1, U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) introduced H.R.
2715<http://www.districtdispatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Bill-language-8-1-111.pdf>,
a bill to provide the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with greater
authority and discretion in enforcing the consumer product safety laws, and
for other purposes. This bill provides the further guidance that the CPSC
stated was required<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2010/01/consumer-product-safety-commission-releases-report-to-congress-on-cpsia/>in
order to enforce the CPSIA as Congress had originally intended. This
bill
protects libraries in two ways:

1. Page 2 of the bill specifies that “each limit set forth … shall apply
only to a children’s product … that is manufactured after the effective date
of such respective limit.” This would then require the manufacturers of
books to ensure that their processes are safe and fall within the limits of
the law.

2. Pages 18-19 of the bill states that “the third party testing requirements
established … shall not apply to ordinary books or ordinary paper-based
printed materials” and then continues to define both ordinary book and
ordinary paper-based printed materials.

In a whirlwind of events, the bill passed the House (421-2) and then went to
the Senate where it was passed without amendment by unanimous consent.

For information on why librarians have been concerned about this act, please
visit the ALA website<http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/federallegislation/cpsia/index.cfm>
.

-- 
*Diedre Conkling**
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR 97365
Phone & Fax: 541-265-3066
Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*
Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

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