Product Safety Gets Overhaul as Imports Keep Coming In

(Wall Street Journal – Melanie Trottman)

The president-elect will have to decide the resources to allocate to the underfunded Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is in a major overhaul after two years of high-profile recalls of toys and other goods.

The Obama administration must also face a growing flood of imports into the U.S. from less-regulated markets such as China and Vietnam. Over the past year, numerous Chinese-made goods have been found to be contaminated with dangerous substances, sparking recalls of such items as lead-tainted toys and unsafe cribs.

Consumer groups have called for stronger leadership and more action from the CPSC. Mr. Obama’s choice for CPSC chairman will need to repair the agency’s image as a reliable watchdog for consumers, and oversee implementation of dozens of complex safety regulations mandated by Congress this summer.The agency’s 420-person staff is half the size it was decades ago when its mission was much smaller. Now it oversees more than 15,000 products. The agency says its annual budget of $80 million isn’t sufficient to carry out its new mission. The House and Senate have proposed boosting its budget by $15 million and $20 million, respectively, but that money hasn’t been appropriated yet and isn’t guaranteed. Read the complete article here.