Subcommittee Approves Ban on Funding for CPSIA Database, Etc.
On June 16, 2011, a House Appropriations Subcommittee1 approved at mark-up (without change) a proposed fiscal year 2012 Financial Services appropriations bill. This bill would provide funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Treasury Department, etc.
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Full Committee Mark Up Tentatively Scheduled for June 23
Congressional sources have indicated that the full committee’s mark-up of the proposed FY 2012 Financial Services appropriations bill is tentatively scheduled for June 23, 2011.
(The FY 2012 Financial Services appropriations bill is expected to be introduced (and numbered) after the full Appropriations Committee has conducted its own mark up.)
CPSC
Funding Ban for CPSIA-Required Public Database
The Subcommittee-approved bill would prohibit funding from being used to carry out activities related to the CPSC’s public database of consumer product safety incidents which was mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).
(CPSC launched this controversial new public database on March 11, 2011. See ITT’s Online Archives or 03/14/11 news, 11031419, for BP summary.)
Funding Ban for CPSIA Youth ATV Lead Limits
In addition, the bill would prohibit funding from being used to implement or enforce the CPSIA lead content limits for youth off-highway and all-terrain vehicles.
GAO Cost-Benefit Analysis of CPSIA
The bill would also require the Government Accountability Office to conduct an analysis of the benefits and costs of the CPSIA and report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 270 days of enactment.
Would Receive $3.5M Less than Previous Year
According to a Subcommittee press release, funding summary table, and the Subcommittee-approved bill, the CPSC would receive funding of $111.3 million for FY 2012, $3.5 million less than the amount enacted in FY 2011.
SBA
Would Receive $249M Increase
The Subcommittee’s bill would provide the Small Business Administration with $978.3 million in funding for FY 2012, an increase of over $248 million from the amount enacted in FY 2011.
FTC
Would Receive $7.3M More than Previous Year
The Federal Trade Commission, which protects consumers from deceptive practices, would receive $7.3 million more than in fiscal year 2010.
Treasury
Would Receive $929M Less than Previous Year, Cut Mostly to IRS
Under the Subcommittee’s bill, the Treasury Department would receive FY 2012 funding of $12.2 billion dollars, a decrease of $929 million from what was enacted in FY 2011. Most of the $929 million decrease would come from the Internal Revenue Service.
Clarification for Agricultural Goods Sold to Cuba
The Subcommittee’s bill also includes language to assist U.S. farmers by clarifying the requirement for payment of “cash in advance” for agricultural goods sold to Cuba.
1Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 05/10/11 news, 11051031, for BP summary of CPSC Chairman Tenenbaum’s remarks that the CPSC database is going as planned.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/23/11 news, 11022316, for BP summary of previous appropriations measure which contained a funding ban on the CPSC public database.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/21/09 news, 09072110, for BP summary of previous appropriations measure which contained a funding ban for youth off-highway vehicle lead content limits.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 05/13/11 news, 11051308, for BP summary of the draft bill to amend various aspects of the CPSIA, including the public database).
Subcommittee press release on the release of its draft bill available here
Subcommittee draft text of bill available here