Toy Safety and Other Legislative Happenings

It's day 4 of the Special Session, and the State Legislature is in full swing. One bill that will be debated in the House would ban retailers from selling toys under a recall.

From the Associated Press:

A bill under consideration in the Oregon House would subject retailers who sell recalled toys to possible legal action.

The House Consumer Protection Committee unanimously approved House Bill 3631, which would make the sale of a recalled children's product a violation of the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act. The measure now goes to the full House for a vote.

In January alone the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recalls that involved more than a dozen children's products. Some of the notices involved toys manufactured in China.

The key issue in Wednesday's debate was over a provision that gives individuals, the state attorney general and local district attorneys the right to sue retailers who sell recalled products.

"We want these (dangerous) products off the shelves," said Harlan Levy of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's largest small-business trade association. "We just don't want to give trial lawyers the opportunity to put our people out of business."

The panel's four Democrats didn't budge, but the majority did agree to one change sought by retailers. It dropped a provision that presumed retailers have knowledge of recall notices and manufacturer's warnings for children's products in their stores.

The Oregonian also gives a preview of today's events in the legislature:

First Floor Vote: The House will meet at noon and vote on House Bill 3616, which requires health benefit plans to provide coverage for services rendered by licensed professional counselors (LPC) or licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) if the plan covers similar services provided by other professionals. It also prohibits the use of the LPC and LMFT terms for marketing or advertising by anyone who isn't licensed by the state.

Go Safely, Rider: The Senate Transportation Committee's 1 p.m. meeting includes an update on Tri-Met light rail security and a hearing on Senate Bill 1074, which would require Tri-Met to perform evaluations of passenger safety and criminal activity on or near the light rail system.

Duck Bucks: The University of Oregon's proposed new arena comes to The Joint Committee on Ways & Means' 3:30 meeting include public testimony from 4:30 to 5:30 on four bills that include the construction (Senate Bill 5555) and bonding authority (House Bill 5100) for the University of Oregon's proposed basketball arena. The university hopes to use $200 million in state-backed bonds to build a replacement for Mac Court.

Discuss.