H.R. 4040 & Call To Action

Now I must admit, I'm not a huge political person. I do watch the news each morning and I try to stay informed, but I'm not one who goes from political site to political site looking to see what new laws are on the books. However, maybe I should be.



One of my friends' blogs (thanks Mitzi) made a reference to a new law that will go into effect on February 20, 2009. HR.404 states that buying or selling or even handing down children's clothes or toys--new or used, that have not been tested for lead will be ILLEGAL. The cost for testing clothes for lead is hundreds (or in excess of a thousand) dollars per item. This successfully puts Ebay sellers and small boutiques or sellers of handmade items out of business. It also means no more saving money by buying clothes for your children on Ebay, garage sales or consignment sales.



After doing a little bit of research, it seems that this law was constructed after the huge influx of toys contaminated with lead-paint came in from China. However, this knee-jerk reaction seems just a bit much. Having to test EVERYTHING that isn't brand new? This website is a great article outlining the new law. At the bottom is also a list of things that we can do to be involved. Take a moment to contribute to making a difference by contacting your representatives, congressperson and the people who need to know that this is a bit out of hand.

Just in case you don't want to hop over to the other site, here is the call to action directly from the Eleanor Duckwall site:

1. E-mail your representative and remind him or her that we don't vote for people who bankrupt our nation. If words fail you, here's a sample letter you can follow.
2. Call your senators. Naturally, you won't get to talk directly with them, but an assistant will answer the phone. If you're nervous, prepare a script in advance and always be polite. But these idiots … er, elected officials will only understand the depth of our anger if we flood the phone lines.
3. Send a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Be polite (cuss words aren't polite, tempting as they may be), but pin their ears back by informing them what compliance with this law will do to the economy. Like they care.
4. Sign the petition. Pass it on to friends.
5. Spread the word. Only by passing the word can we multiply the strength of our protests.

What I am is a huge fan of consignment sales. Most of my kids' clothing comes from hand-me-downs and various consignment sales. Do I think that the HR 4040 police are going to start storming homes wanting to know when and where I got all my kids' toys, clothes, books and other accouterments? No, but that's still not an excuse not to act. So, I'm hoping to get you on the bandwagon with me. Remember - if you shop or sell at consignment sales, this affects you. If you buy or sell thing for kids on Ebay or Esty, this impacts you. I'm just trying to spread the word, because obviously this new law has gotten very little press (hopefully up until now).