WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on nominations.

 

Mr. Dennis F. Hightower, to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce

 

Mr. Robert S. Adler, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

Ms. Anne M. Northup, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

 

“It is always very gratifying when individuals, such as our highly qualified nominees today, choose to answer the call of our President to further his or her public service.  Mr. Hightower’s admirable work in the private and public sectors will be an asset to the Department of Commerce.  Mr. Adler brings extensive experience and knowledge about consumer product safety issues and Ms. Northup has a long track record of working on behalf of children.  I am proud of the progress we have made in recent months, and I want to thank my colleagues for working swiftly to get these talented public servants where they belong—on the job for the American people.”

 

“The two CPSC nominees -- Robert Adler and Anne Northup -- recognize the vital role the agency plays in protecting the public from product safety risks. If confirmed, I expect them both to execute the CPSC’s responsibilities with the diligence the American consumer deserves.”

“America must now act with a renewed sense of urgency.  Our global competitors are neither standing still nor shy about taking action to exert their global economic ambitions.  America must demonstrate not only a willingness to take action, but we must put in place the appropriate metrics to help us know when we have achieved the intended results.  As I look at the challenges facing America and the Department of Commerce, I am reminded of a saying that defined the mission of one of the elite fighting forces I was a member of, and that is: ‘Rangers lead the way!’”

“As I contemplate a return to the CPSC, I am well aware that the product safety challenges are not necessarily the same as when I left.  To pick just one example, I note that imported products now present far more serious problems than in years past.  In fact, as I understand it, roughly 85% of current CPSC recalls involve imported products.  Nor is the CPSC the same agency that I left.  It’s gone through some turbulent times and regrettably has emerged as a far smaller agency – though with the same large mandate.  In 1981, for example, the CPSC had a staff of roughly 900 FTE’s.  And while I am extremely encouraged by the recent hiring of a number of talented new agency staff, I note that even with the infusion of new funding in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), the agency’s authorized staff level remains more than 40 percent below that of thirty years ago.”

“I have served in the Kentucky Legislature for nine years and then in Congress for ten years and in all those years I felt that my degree in Economics and my professional work was only half of what I brought to each challenge.  The other part was being the mother of six children.  When our children were young, they only received toys twice a year: on their birthdays and Christmas and even that was a financial challenge.  I worried about what my children needed and how I was going to pay for it.  It never occurred to me that I should also worry about the safety of the toy.  I had never heard of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but I had faith in the American system of protection.  Families need to have faith in the system again.  They have to be able to count on us.”

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