Hello, everyone, I am asking you all to take a moment to support my cause. The new Consumer Protection Improvement Act which will go into effect on 2/10/09 could be problematic for crafters like myself. It basically will require any and all toy and children's clothes manufacturers to have certification that our products do not contain hazardous amounts of lead or other harmful items. For those of us who spend a lot of time trying to create something that is not mass produced and safe for our own children, this could lead to some major problems.
I am still fairly new to my own business, but I do feel that this is a hit for small business everywhere. There are several other small yet more established businesses which will undoubtedly be able to deal with the new laws, however, the increased cost will likely drive prices up. For many it is a lively hood. There is a lot of media on this situation and I have been reasearching what I can do to help. From everything Ive seen, the large toy companies will not be seriously affected by this but for us smaller entities, we cannot afford the cost for testing and will have to remove our items for public sale. It also could mean that charity knitting for children will also be illegal.
Ive read the letter with the proposed changes and I feel that they are reasonable and would encompass what I do so I voted in agreement with the idea. As the Act is worded now, there is no exclusion for items that have already been tested an found in compliance and no exclusion for items that scientifically have no lead. I am asking those of you who are willing to vote your support. If our cause makes it to the top ten (out of hundreds I'm sure) then we will have the opportunity as soon as possible to allow crafters like myself to continue doing what we love. You may not have kids, but if you can support this cause it would mean a great deal to me as well as many others. Thank you for taking a moment to read what I have to say and I hope you will cast your vote.
Hopefully I didn't ramble, I am a little concerned about this because half of our inventory is for children under 12.
Bobbi Padgett
