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American Morning

Consumer Product Safety Commission Nominee Faces Democratic Opposition

Aired July 24, 2001 - 11:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's one you don't usually see. A Consumer Product Safety Commission nomination stirring up a lot of controversy. President Bush wants a woman named Mary Sheila Gall to lead the CPSC. A lot of people don't like that idea, though.

Eileen O'Connor is here to tell us why -- Eileen.

EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill...

KAGAN: Who knew?

O'CONNOR: Who know the CPSC nomination would be so exciting. There are some senators on Capitol Hill, mainly Democratic senators, who say that this is a very controversial nomination. They say that Mary Gall is not a friend of consumers, that she is a more a friend of industry.

Now, you know the Consumer Product Safety Commission has jurisdiction has jurisdiction over some 15,000 products. They are mandated to work with industry to try to set up standards to improve the safety of products, of everything you use from baby seats to beds and cribs for children.

Now with me is Francis Smith, who is the executive director of Consumer Alert. This is a consumer organization that is -- looks out for regulations and their effect on consumers. You are actually in support of Mary Gall. Why do you believe that, in fact, her nomination is a good one.

FRANCES SMITH, CONSUMER ALERT: Well, because of her record. She's been on the commission, she's made some very sound, reasonable decisions that we think have promoted even safer products entering the marketplace. For instance, on baby walkers, she saw the industry getting very close to fixing a perceived problem. Instead of CPSC coming in and stopping that and going in four, five years of making a rule, she said let them do it, and they did.

O'CONNOR: But she voted against regulating some things like bunk beds, and bunk beds that have actually been involved in accidents that have killed people. Why and very quickly?

SMITH: OK, she looked at the statute, which says defer to industry standards, and industry standards had 95 percent compliance and so she was following that.

O'CONNOR: She was basically saying better to get them safe right away.

SMITH: That's right.

O'CONNOR: That's what the supporters of Mary Gall are saying, better to allow her to work with industry than regulate it, which say would take longer to get safe products.

Back to you, Daryn and Brian.

BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Eileen.

KAGAN: Thank you very much.

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