I was sent this today and thought I would share it as it affects so many of my wholesalers and friends -
Below is an excerpt from 5 Minutes for Mom, (http://www.5minutesformom.com/5127/cpsia/), and a link to a petition. The CPSIA is a very real situation that will cause an unthinkable number of companies to cease business. Mine is one of those companies. I did the math, and in order to continue offering my current collection I would have to spend far beyond $52,000 in testing. Beyond this, it will destroy the creativity and uniqueness of our industry, forcing our children to be surrounded in mass produced factory products.Please do what you can to spread the word. Post to your blogs, send emails, write letters, and please take a few minutes to sign the petition.
I am a mother.
Nothing matters to me more than the safety of my children and other children. But I can also recognize when a flawed, reactionary law puts countless responsible, business owners at risk of unfairly losing their businesses.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) may have been drafted with good intentions, but along the road it became a law that is impossible to fairly implement.
If it is put into action on February 10, 2009 as it currently is planned, it will have devastating repercussions to both large and small businesses and basically end the handmade goods industry.
The CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys (obviously a good thing) but it mandates enormously expensive third-party testing and certification for all products intended for children under the age of 12.
It’s the ridiculous expense of the third-party testing and certification that will close businesses and make it illegal for work-at-home moms and dads to sell their handmade goods.We will all be affected if this law is not changed.
As parents, consumers, business owners and employees we will all suffer from the economic mess that this law will trigger. Not to mention we won’t even be able to buy handmade baby blankets!February 10, 2009 is already being dubbed National Bankruptcy Day.
We must all take action now to stop this law from destroying responsible businesses.
How to Help:
If you are an American, write to your United States Congress Person and Senator and the CPSC to request changes in the CPSIA.
You canfind your Congress Person here and Senator here.
Find a sample letter at The Handmade Toy Alliance.Sign the iPetition for the CPSIA Impacts on Children’s Apparel Industry
Post your concerns on your blog, Facebook or Myspace page.
Send an email directly to the CPSC or contact chairperson Nancy Nord at 301-504-7923Twitter: Search using the #CPSIA hashtagJoin the CPSIA Facebook Group
Join these Etsy folks and send a handmade toy to Congressman Rush.
Learn more about the law and how you can help change it. Here are a few of the many blogs that have helpful resources: National Bankruptcy Day, The Smart Mama, Cool Mom Picks, Z Recommends
Thank you
Susan
Thank you
Susan
Warm Regards,Jesseca Bellemare
Owner and Designer
Quilt Baby
