Consumer advocates hope watchdog agencies get more bite; new era of protection expected from Obama

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Consumer advocates hope watchdog agencies get more bite
The Obama administration is expected to usher in a new era of protection.
David Lazarus
December 28, 2008

You'll be safer in 2009. At least that's the expectation of consumer watchdogs who believe the changing of the guard at the White House in a few weeks will mark the beginning of a new era in protecting people from stuff that can hurt you.

"It may not be a golden age," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Washington. "But it's definitely going to be an opportunity for consumer advocates to be heard for the first time in years and for there to be meaningful change." He and other advocates expect extensive housecleaning primarily in two crucial agencies, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.

For years, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has seemed like it's had an "out to lunch" sign on the door. The agency is responsible for overseeing the safety of 15,000 product categories, including toys, cribs, power tools and kitchen appliances. It now has about 400 staffers, fewer than half the amount it had when the agency was established in 1973. Moreover, the three-person commission has been without a chairman since July 2006.

That's when Hal Stratton, an appointee of President Bush, departed to take a job with a law firm that specializes in shooting down class-action lawsuits filed by consumers. In March 2007, Bush nominated Michael Baroody, a manufacturing industry lobbyist, to head the commission. Baroody withdrew from consideration after lawmakers demanded copies of his severance agreement with the National Assn. of Manufacturers. Bush never nominated anyone else.

In August, after the recalls of millions of toys and other products, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was signed into law. It will significantly streamline and enhance the commission's operations, including new resources for disclosure of defective goods. "A blueprint for success has been set in place for the commission," said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America. "Now all we need is the leadership to act on it, and to restore the commission's funding and resources."...

The FDA also appears to have a lot of renovation in its future after repeated instances of tainted foods and drugs turning up in the U.S. market. Most recently, the agency has drawn fire from public health advocates for seeking to reverse a long-standing policy on mercury-tainted seafood....The FDA also has taken hits on melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer....

http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-fi-lazarus28-2008dec28,0,2891768.column