December 2007

Dear Seniors:

During the holiday season we often exchange gifts with loved ones as a means of expressing our appreciation and gratitude for them. In our role as grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends, we want to be sure that our gratitude is expressed safely! Unfortunately, this year’s mounting recalls of toys and consumer products have been and continue to be a great cause of concern for many of us. To help make this holiday season healthier and happier for all, I recently backed a package of legislation to help ensure the products that our children and grandchildren use are completely safe and reliable. Please find an update on this action below.

• The House unanimously passed the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, which requires consumers to be notified directly when unsafe cribs, high chairs and other durable infant and toddler products are recalled;
• The House also unanimously passed the Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act, which encourages companies to report safety problems with their products; and,
• Additionally, the House recently considered a comprehensive bill to provide greater resources for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ban lead in children’s jewelry and products, and make third-party testing of toys and children’s products for compliance with safety standards mandatory.

It is clear that we need to redouble our efforts to ensure products on the market are safe for children and families, especially during this season of gift-giving. We know raising a family is hard work and grandparents and parents should not have to worry about purchasing dangerous products at the supermarket or the mall. That is why I am proud to support the efforts that will help keep our children safe, and I am fighting to get the lead out of the toys our children play with every day.

As always I encourage you to contact Cheryl Gresek, Constituent Service Representative, in the Office of Congressman John Tierney at 1-978-531-1669 if you need additional assistance.

Sincerely,



John F. Tierney
Member of Congress