§2056a Standards and consumer registration of durable nursery products

Summary

Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create and enforce safety rules for durable infant and toddler products. The Commission must review voluntary safety standards with consumer groups, makers, and child-product experts and then adopt rules that match or are stricter than those voluntary standards. The Commission had to start rulemaking not later than 1 year after August 14, 2008, and must issue standards for at least 2 product categories every 6 months, starting with the highest priorities, until all categories are covered. The Commission must keep reviewing and updating those standards. Anyone hurt by a standard can ask for a review under the procedures in section 2060(g). When a rule is based on a voluntary standard, the issuing organization must be told and given a copy. If that organization changes its voluntary standard, it must notify the Commission; the revised voluntary standard becomes the Commission’s standard 180 days after notice unless the Commission says within 90 days that the revision does not improve safety. Makes it illegal to make, sell, lease, offer, or place into commerce a crib that does not meet the Commission’s crib standard. That rule applies to manufacturers, distributors, sellers, child care providers, businesses that place cribs in commerce, and places open to the public. Later updates to the crib rule apply at first only to manufacturers and importers unless the Commission decides others must comply and then gives at least 12 months to comply. The Commission must also require manufacturers to include a postage-paid registration form with each durable infant or toddler product, keep registrant names, addresses, e-mails, and contact info for at least 6 years, and permanently mark each product with the maker’s name and contact, model, and date of manufacture. The form must be attached so buyers notice it, include spaces for contact info, offer online registration, explain its purpose, and state the information will be used only for recalls or safety alerts. The Commission must study how well the forms help recalls and report to Congress not later than 4 years after August 14, 2008, review recall-notification technology beginning 2 years after the registration rule, and report by 3 years after August 14, 2008; if a technology works as well or better, manufacturers may use it instead of the paper form after the Commission reports to Congress. Defines “durable infant or toddler product” as a durable item for children under 5, including examples such as cribs, toddler beds, high chairs and boosters, bath seats, gates, play yards, activity centers, carriers, strollers, walkers, swings, bassinets, and cradles.