HB7026 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 19496 RXD 45236 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB7026

Introduced 02/09/04, by Sidney H. Mathias - Patricia R. Bellock - Elizabeth Coulson - Rosemary Mulligan

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

430 ILCS 125/15

Amends the Children's Product Safety Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall be responsible for regulating recall announcements and other information regarding the safety of children's products disseminated on the Internet. Provides that the Department shall provide links to this information on its website.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning public safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Children's Product Safety Act is amended by changing Section 15 as follows:

(430 ILCS 125/15)

Sec. 15. Unsafe children's products; prohibition.

(a) No commercial user may remanufacture, retrofit, sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce, on or after January 1, 2000, a children's product that is unsafe.

(b) A children's product is deemed to be unsafe for purposes of this Act if it meets any of the following criteria:

(1) It does not conform to all federal laws and regulations setting forth standards for the children's product.

(2) It has been recalled for any reason by an agency of the federal government or the product's manufacturer, distributor, or importer and the recall has not been rescinded.

(3) An agency of the federal government has issued a warning that a specific product's intended use constitutes a safety hazard and the warning has not been rescinded.

The Department of Public Health shall create, maintain, and update a comprehensive list of children's products that have been identified as meeting any of the criteria set forth in subdivisions (1) through (3) of this subsection (b). The Department of Public Health shall make the comprehensive list available to the public at no cost and shall post it on the Internet, and encourage links. The Department is also responsible for regulating recall announcements and other information regarding the safety of children's products disseminated on the Internet. The Department shall provide links to this information on its website.

(c) A crib is presumed to be unsafe for purposes of this Act if it does not conform to the standards endorsed or established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including but not limited to Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the American Society for Testing and Materials, as follows:

(1) Part 1508 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations and any regulations adopted to amend or supplement the regulations.

(2) Part 1509 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations and any regulations adopted to amend or supplement the regulations.

(3) Part 1303 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations and any regulations adopted to amend or supplement the regulations.

(4) The following standards and specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials for corner posts of baby cribs and structural integrity of baby cribs:

(A) ASTM F 966-90 (corner post standard).

(B) ASTM F 1169-88 (structural integrity of full-size baby cribs).

(C) ASTM F 1822-97 (non-full-size cribs).

(d) Cribs that are unsafe shall include, but not be limited to, cribs that have any of the following dangerous features or characteristics:

(1) Corner posts that extend more than one-sixteenth of an inch.

(2) Spaces between side slats more than 2.375 inches.

(3) Mattress support that can be easily dislodged from any point of the crib. A mattress segment can be easily dislodged if it cannot withstand at least a 25-pound upward force from underneath the crib.

(4) Cutout designs on the end panels.

(5) Rail height dimensions that do not conform to both of the following:

(A) The height of the rail and end panel as measured from the top of the rail or panel in its lowest position to the top of the mattress support in its highest position is at least 9 inches.

(B) The height of the rail and end panel as measured from the top of the rail or panel in its highest position to the top of the mattress support in its lowest position is at least 26 inches.

(6) Any screws, bolts, or hardware that are loose and not secured.

(7) Sharp edges, points, or rough surfaces, or any wood surfaces that are not smooth and free from splinters, splits, or cracks.

(8) Tears in mesh or fabric sides in a non-full-size crib.

(9) A non-full-size crib that folds in a "V" shape design does not have top rails that automatically lock into place when the crib is fully set up.

(10) The mattress pad in a non-full-size mesh/fabric crib exceeds one inch.

(e) An unsafe children's product, as determined pursuant to subdivisions (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (b) of this Section 15, may be retrofitted if the retrofit has been approved by the agency of the federal government issuing the recall or warning or the agency responsible for approving the retrofit is different from the agency issuing the recall or warning. A retrofitted children's product may be sold if it is accompanied at the time of sale by a notice declaring that it is safe to use for a child under 6 years of age. The notice shall include: (1) a description of the original problem which made the recalled product unsafe; (2) a description of the retrofit which explains how the original problem was eliminated and declaring that it is now safe to use for a child under 6 years of age; and (3) the name and address of the commercial user who accomplished the retrofit certifying that the work was done along with the name and model number of the product retrofitted. The commercial user is responsible for ensuring that the notice is present with the retrofitted product at the time of sale. A retrofit is exempt from this Act if:

(i) the retrofit is for a children's product that requires assembly by the consumer, the approved retrofit is provided with the product by the commercial user, and the retrofit is accompanied at the time of sale by instructions explaining how to apply the retrofit; or

(ii) the seller of a previously unsold product accomplishes the repair, approved or recommended by an agency of the federal government, prior to sale.

(Source: P.A. 91-413, eff. 1-1-00.)