Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:29:43 -0700
From: Diedre Conkling <[email protected]>
Subject: [Publib] Fwd: [District Dispatch] ALA: U.S. Rep.
Fortenberry's legisl ation will protect books from regulation
To: libs-or <[email protected]>,
[email protected]
ALA: U.S. Rep. Fortenberry's legislation will protect books from
regulation <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2401> March 25th,
2009
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2401
Nebraska congressman introduces bill to amend consumer safety act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jenni Terry <[email protected]>
*WASHINGTON, D.C.* - The American Library Association (ALA) supports
legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) yesterday
to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to exempt
ordinary books from the lead limit within the act. This is a welcome
step toward ensuring libraries will not be adversely affected by the
law.
In August 2008, Congress passed CPSIA, an important law to protect
children from the real dangers of toys made with lead-based paint;
however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) misinterpreted
the law to apply to ordinary books for children 12 years of age or
younger.
The law was set to go into effect on February 10, 2009, but in late
January 2009, the CPSC issued a one-year stay of implementation for
enforcement of the new lead limits in children's products, stating that
the commission will not impose penalties against anyone for making,
importing, distributing or selling a children's product to the extent
that it is made of certain natural materials, such as an ordinary
children's book printed after 1985.
Fortenberry's bill, H.R. 1692, would remove the pre-1985 provision and
states that CPSIA was not intended to apply to ordinary books - those
books that are published on paper or cardboard, printed by conventional
publishing methods, intended to be read, and lacking inherent play
value. H.R. 1692 also states that testing has shown that finished books
and their component materials contain total lead content at levels
considered non-detectable, and the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has determined that there is little risk to children
from lead in ordinary books.
"We are grateful for this bill since it supports what the ALA,
libraries, teachers and parents know to be true - books are safe and
should not be regulated by this law," ALA President Jim Rettig said.
"Reading is critical to child development, and libraries should be free
to continue providing services to children without the fear of having to
comply with unnecessary and expensive testing. Rep. Fortenberry's bill
corrects the CPSC's misinterpretation that would deny our children
access to books and limit their opportunities to learn."
Read the full text of the bill
here<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/f
orten_019_xml.pdf>
.
--
Diedre Conkling
[email protected]
Laurie Mahaffey, Deputy Director
Central Texas Library System, Inc.
1005 West 41st Street
Austin, Texas 78756
www.ctls.net
[email protected]
512-583-0704 x18
800-262-4431 x18
