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Friday, February 29, 2008

Senate Republicans Attack CPSC Reform Bill

Over at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) blog, Dylan Blaylock previews next week's Senate showdown over legislation that would expand the resources and responsibilities of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The House version of the bill (H.R. 4040) passed in December in a 407-0 vote, but things may not go so smoothly in the Senate.

GAP and Public Citizen have obtained a Senate Republican Caucus memo that contains talking points arguing against the bill. The memo also contains letters from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers opposing the bill. One of the talking points argues against giving CPSC the resources it desperately needs:

The bill increases the budget of the CPSC from $80 Million in FY08 to over $158 Million in 2015. It would also take the CPSC from its 2007 level of 393 full time equivalents to 500 full time equivalents. While there may be needs at the CPSC, there has been scant justification for these increases in the size and scope of government.

Scant justification? Since the 1970s, CPSC's budget (see graph below) and staffing level have been halved, as OMB Watch recently reported. Even with the employment increases mandated in the legislation, CPSC would be significantly understaffed.

Meanwhile, the industries CPSC regulates have skyrocketed. For example, from 1985 to 2004, four-wheel ATV use increased 17-fold, according to CPSC statistics. CPSC estimates show a steady rise in ATV-related deaths over the same 20-year period, from 55 in 1985 to 734 in 2004. (See graph below.) Despite the risk, in recent years CPSC has been unwilling or unable to regulate the ATV industry.

The Republican Caucus's rhetoric is anti-government ideology run amok. The CPSC reform legislation is not an attempt to dramatically expand the role of government, but an effort to keep the agency's resources on par with its responsibilities — and its responsibilities on par with the industries it regulates.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is leading the charge against the CSPC reform bill. DeMint and the industry lobbyists he is stumping for should drop their campaign to derail this sensible legislation.