“Parents shopping for toys this holiday season should not have to play ‘toy box roulette,’ unsure of whether the toys they choose could harm their children. As U.S. PIRG’s report makes clear, toy shopping is still fraught with concern because the Bush administration has shortchanged the CPSC. California shouldn’t have to sue toy companies to ensure that the toys on store shelves are safe. Instead, the CPSC should be a robust watchdog safeguarding the safety of American consumers, not an industry lapdog,” said Rep. Markey.

“Congress is on the job, drafting legislation to reform the CPSC, and I look forward to sending the president a strong bill that will strengthen product safety testing and improve the public’s awareness of potential hazards.”

U.S. PIRG’s report, “Trouble in Toyland”, notes that the CPSC is the nation’s smallest safety agency, yet it is responsible for 15,000 different products— from chain saws to escalators and from kitchen appliances to toys. The report is available here.

Meanwhile, the state of California filed a lawsuit yesterday against 20 companies, including Mattel Inc. and Toys R Us, alleging that the companies violated state law by failing to notify customers of toys in the marketplace that contained high concentrations of lead.

As Congress considers legislation to overhaul the CPSC, Rep. Markey has proposed specific reforms for inclusion in the bill, including a requirement that the CPSC create an online publicly-available database containing reports of safety incidents involving toys so that consumers can make informed purchasing decisions when shopping for toys, and a provision to provide the CPSC with authority to investigate accidents at so-called fixed-site rides at amusement parks. Under current law, the CPSC is prevented from investigating such accidents due to a loophole inserted in a budget law more than 20 years ago.