CPSC to Hold Virtual Priorities/Agenda Hearing in Late May

CPSC's rescheduling of its priorities hearing for May 27 is not an indication that the agency is set to return to normal, in-person operations. Rather, the plan is for the session to be virtual, including remote presentations from stakeholders, likely about 10 to 12. The public will be able to watch a webcast live.

The scheduled timeslot is 10:00am to 3:00pm Eastern with presumably a break for lunch. The notice (bit.ly/2W88Ks1) told the public to direct specific questions to the Division of the Secretariat at cpsc-os@cpsc.gov or 240-863-8939.

The session – aiming to cover both FY2021 and FY2022 – originally was scheduled for April 15 but was postponed due to COVID-19 necessities. The agency began general work-from-home status in March (PSL, 3/13/20).

Meanwhile, over two rounds of comments, CPSC got six on-topic written submissions (see related story).

The eventual return to on-site status likely would follow a recent guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (PSL, 4/27/2020) that detailed considerations for agencies making such decisions, including virus status in the area. For CPSC, that is the Washington, D.C. region broadly, and Montgomery County, Maryland, specifically.

Early phase-in likely would involve gradual easing of telework and rotating teams across different days. Other considerations would include:

• Vulnerable staff, healthy practices, processes for symptomatic people, and whether work needs to be on-site.

 

• Facilities, customer-service, and operational practices ranging from cleaning to public interaction.

 

• Travel decisions that account for differing situations in various regions of the nation.