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Read. Follow. Verify.2017 Budget Hearing: Consumer Product Safety Commission
Record date · January 1, 2016
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What This Bill Does
This transcript covers a 2016 House subcommittee hearing regarding the 2017 budget request for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The subcommittee chairman reviewed the agency's performance, specifically criticizing its stakeholder engagement and the lack of progress in reducing testing costs for small businesses.
The hearing sets the stage for the CPSC's $130 million annual budget and highlights congressional pressure to reduce regulatory testing costs for small businesses.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Small businesses
These entities are subject to third-party testing requirements that the subcommittee is attempting to reduce.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The agency is subject to congressional oversight and budget appropriation decisions.
Key Facts
- The President requested a $130 million budget for the CPSC for fiscal year 2017, a $5.5 million increase over the previous year.
- The subcommittee previously designated $1 million in funding specifically for reducing third-party testing burdens on small businesses.
- Chairman Crenshaw stated that the CPSC has failed to provide tangible relief for small businesses regarding testing burdens despite receiving the designated funds.
- The CPSC has shifted its nanotechnology research strategy from creating an internal center to partnering with the National Institutes of Health.
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- The subcommittee expressed concern over the CPSC's 'ad hoc and reactive' approach to stakeholder engagement.
- The CPSC is currently working on regulatory issues regarding recreational off-highway vehicles.
- The subcommittee chairman criticized the CPSC for pursuing regulatory changes that he claims undermine the agency's voluntary recall program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CPSC's proposed budget for 2017?
Why is the subcommittee unhappy with the CPSC?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Nanotechnology Research Pivot
The CPSC abandoned plans for an internal nanotechnology research center in favor of a partnership with the National Institutes of Health.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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