Pelosi Statement on Congress Sending Consumer Product Safety Legislation To President

August 1, 2008

Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, other senior Members of Congress, and families impacted by unsafe toys joined together at an enrollment ceremony today for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This bill, which now goes to President Bush for his signature into law, gives the Consumer Product Safety Commission the resources, authority, and oversight it needs to protect children from lead, dangerous toys and other unsafe products.

"At the beginning of this Congress, I proudly gaveled the Congress to order in the name of all of America's children, promising to make this a children's Congress. This week, we have more than one reason to be honoring that pledge and be glad about that.

"Today is a very special day in the history of the Congress and for our families. This Consumer Product Safety legislation would not have happened without the stories we have heard from families, without the legislative genius of Members, and without the mobilization of our outside groups who held us to a very high standard.

"I'm so pleased to be joined by many of my colleagues, whom you'll hear from shortly, but I also want to thank Chairman John Dingell, Congressman Bobby Rush, who was the author of the legislation in the House of Representatives, and Chairman Henry Waxman, who was a strong voice in all of this.

"It's important to note, in 2007, Consumers Union dubbed that as the ‘Year of the Recall.' Well, that's over. With this legislation, we will not only be recalling, we will be removing those products from the shelves, but more importantly, we will be preventing them to getting to the shelves in the first place, products that are harmful to the well-being of our children.

"And so when we sign this legislation to send to the President, we will be doing so in the week we passed legislation to make college more affordable for America's families, the Medicare Bill signed into law earlier for America's seniors and people with disabilities, to have legislation passed last night under the leadership of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for equal pay. The Pay Equity Act is very important to working women in America. The list goes on. The tobacco bill that came out of the Energy and Commerce Committee; I commend Mr. Dingell and Mr. Waxman also on that.

"So these issues were about the health, the education, the safety of America's families and their security. And this bill is the crown jewel, because it was so long in coming, so absolutely necessary. And I want to thank all the Members of Congress, House and Senate, who made this possible.

"But as I said, it wouldn't have been possible without the experience, documentation, need, generosity of spirit of the families who are with us today, among many others, who told their stories. Nothing is more eloquent than that in terms of convincing Congress and our outside groups who are here. I thank you for the outside mobilization and to keep our standards high.

"Today, after we sign the legislation, we're going to hear from other Members. It's a joyful day. As a grandmother and a mom, as I've said over and over, raising a family is the most challenging task anyone can undertake. Doing that prepares you for anything. Being a mom is a job that requires you to be focused, organized, disciplined, have good interpersonal skills, know how to cook and drive, take care of everything, and at the same time, never take your eyes off the children. And so at least we should expect that the products that come to them are safe and not harmful to their health."