CPSC Tells GAO It Will Have Plan for E-Filing Oversight

CPSC promised to finalize a plan by July to ensure companies are timely and accurate in e-filing certificate data. That assurance was one of four agreements by the agency to recommendations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) involving toxic substances in children's products, according to the report made available in late February (bit.ly/4rS9Uo8).

GAO included a December correspondence in which CPSC Acting Chairman Peter Feldman wrote that the target for the finalized plan is the July 8 e-filing effective date.

The other three recommendations, all of which CPSC also agreed to implement, involved:

• Labs: Improve oversight with specified cycle of reviews of whether particular labs are linked to violations. Data from e-filed certificates would aid that work.

 

• Lead: Look at the feasibility of lowering the lead limit in paint and other coatings. Review the effectiveness of the method for measuring lead in coatings. Have a process to review those matters every five years.

 

• Other Substances: Have a process for CPSC to stay up-to-date on changes in hazard information, such as a specified review cycle. This idea specifically mentioned phthalates but also "other toxic substances."

Feldman's letter – in Appendix III of the GAO report (bit.ly/4cIoCcP) – also promised:

"In addition to strengthening oversight, CPSC remains firmly committed to preventing undue influence in all forms of third-party conformity assessment...Where evidence indicates that a laboratory's independence, accuracy, or impartiality has been compromised, whether through falsified reports, manufacturer interference, or other misconduct, the Commission will not hesitate to use the full range of authorities available under the law, up to and including suspension or withdrawal of accreditation."

In January, CPSC took such action against four Chinese labs, warning that products reviewed by them would need recertification (PSL, 1/19/26).

The GAO review was at the request of Sen. John Ossoff (D-Ga.) two years ago (PSL, 4/8/24). On the new report, Ossoff March 3 wrote (bit.ly/40bcPMr):

"The report found that the CPSC has failed to review and update its testing requirements for lead despite being required to do so at least every five years. The report also found that the CPSC does not have written procedures for monitoring changes related to toxic substances in children's products."