“This disregard of a reasonable inquiry about a matter of such vital importance to America’s family is particularly disturbing in light of the serious nature of some the recent toy recalls,” said Casey in his second letter. “It is imperative that parents and consumers are able to make confident and informed decisions as they head to stores in this final weekend before Christmas.”
In his second letter, Casey reiterated his concerns as a parent and an elected official, stressed his disappointment in the lack of response and posed the following questions again:
-Is the CPSC planning on increasing staff levels? Specifically is the CPSC going to have more operators answering the CPSC’s hotline for complaints about toys and is the CPSC planning to increase the number of testers?
-How is the CPSC planning to educate parents in an easy to understand way about existing recalls and recalls from months ago? Will there be a mass media outreach campaign to educate the public about specific toys that have been recalled?
-Will the CPSC spend more time inspecting toys from countries, which have a history of contaminated toys?
Full text of the letter is below.
Dear Commissioner Nord,
On November 15, 2007, I wrote you as a concerned parent and as an elected official expressing my concerns regarding the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC’s) ability to protect children from unsafe toys. During this busy holiday season, in the wake of a series of recent toy recalls, it is important that parents have confidence in the safety of the toys that they are purchasing for their children.
As of December 19, I have still not received a written response to the questions I posed in my letter. This disregard of a reasonable inquiry about a matter of such vital importance to America’s family is particularly disturbing in light of the serious nature of some the recent toy recalls. It is imperative that parents and consumers are able to make confident and informed decisions as they head to stores in this final weekend before Christmas. I once again ask you what assurances you are giving to parents that the toys they are going to give to their children will be safe and what protections you have in place to respond to any toy safety incidents.
In my November 15 letter, I posed the following questions:
1. Is the CPSC planning on increasing staff levels? Specifically is the CPSC going to have more operators answering the CPSC’s hotline for complaints about toys and is the CPSC planning to increase the number of testers?
2. How is the CPSC planning to educate parents in an easy to understand way about existing recalls and recalls from months ago? Will there be a mass media outreach campaign to educate the public about specific toys that have been recalled?
3. Will the CPSC spend more time inspecting toys from countries, which have a history of contaminated toys?
Once again, I urge you to answer these questions fully and promptly, and look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey Jr.
United States Senator
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