House Appropriators Clear FY18 Funding Bill Urging CPSC to Nix Voluntary Recall Proposal
The House Appropriations Committee on July 13 approved fiscal year 2018 Financial Services and General Government spending legislation urging the Consumer Product Safety Commission to withdraw a November 2013 proposed rule that would make voluntary corrective action plans legally binding, the committee announced (here). “Despite overwhelming opposition, the Commission has failed to withdraw its proposed rule on voluntary recalls,” the committee report of the bill says (here). “The Committee opposes making unnecessary changes to a recall system that has worked well over the past 40 years.” If finalized, the rule would hurt small businesses, the report states. Under CPSC’s proposal, once a company voluntarily agrees to undertake a corrective action plan pursuant to a voluntary recall, the company would be legally bound to fulfill the terms of the agreement (see 13112028).
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The bill would provide $123 million for CPSC in FY18, $3 million less than the annualized FY17 appropriation level. The legislation continues language from FY17 spending legislation prohibiting funding to finalize, implement or enforce a November 2014 proposed rule to set a mandatory safety standard for recreational off-highway vehicles (see 1411180014) until a study is completed by the National Academy of Sciences. The bill also adds a provision prohibiting funding to finalize any CPSC rule related to blade-contact injuries on table saws. The office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., didn’t comment on when the bill might come up for a floor vote. A Senate Appropriations Committee spokesman said it is unclear when that committee would mark up financial services spending legislation.