Consumer Product Safety Commission 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') announces that the Commission has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') a request for extension of approval of a collection of information associated with the CPSC's Safety Standard for Infants Swings (OMB No. 3041-0155). In the Federal Register of October 8, 2015 (80 FR 60885), the CPSC published a notice to announce the agency's intention to seek extension of approval of the collection of information. The Commission received no comments. Therefore, by publication of this notice, the Commission announces that CPSC has submitted to the OMB a request for extension of approval of that collection of information, without change.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') received a petition requesting that the Commission initiate rulemaking under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') to require that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with coatings, and treated floor coverings label their products' slip resistance in accordance with the applicable American National Standards Institute (``ANSI'') standard. The Commission invites written comments concerning the petition.

It is the policy of the Commission to publish settlements which it provisionally accepts under the Consumer Product Safety Act in the Federal Register in accordance with the terms of 16 CFR 1118.20(e). Published below is a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with Philips Lighting North America Corporation containing a civil penalty in the amount of two million dollars ($2,000,000), within thirty (30) days of service of the Commission's final Order accepting the Settlement Agreement.\1\

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information required in the Requirements for Electrically Operated Toys or Other Electrically Operated Articles Intended for Use by Children (16 CFR part 1505), approved previously under OMB Control No. 3041-0035. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting an extension of this collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'').

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information associated with the Standard for the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear: Sizes 0 Through 6X (16 CFR part 1615); and the Standard for the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear: Sizes 7 Through 14 (16 CFR part 1616), approved previously under OMB Control No. 3041-0027. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting an extension of this collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'').

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') published a direct final rule (``DFR'') and notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPR'') in the same issue of the Federal Register on October 14, 2015, clarifying when component part testing can be used and clarifying which textile products have been determined not to exceed the allowable lead content limits. The DFR provided that, unless the Commission receives a significant adverse comment by November 13, 2015, the DFR would become effective on December 14, 2015. In response to a request for an extension of time for comments, the Commission is extending the comment period to December 14, 2015. The Commission is also delaying the effective date for the DFR to January 13, 2016.

The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (``CPSIA''; Pub. L. 110-314, 122 Stat. 3016), requires the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') to promulgate consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. These standards must be substantially the same as applicable voluntary standards or more stringent than the voluntary standard if the Commission determines that more stringent requirements would further reduce the risk of injury associated with a product. In response to the direction under section 104(b) of the CPSIA, the Commission is proposing a safety standard for high chairs. The proposed rule would incorporate by reference ASTM F404-15, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for High Chairs (``ASTM F404-15'') into our new regulation and impose more stringent requirements for rearward stability and warnings on labels and in instructional literature. In addition, the Commission proposes to amend our regulations to include the newly proposed high chair standard in the list of notice of requirements (``NORs'') issued by the Commission.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission,'' or ``CPSC'') has approved a document titled, ``Plan for Retrospective Review of Existing Rules.'' CPSC seeks comments on this plan.

The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, section 104 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (``CPSIA''), requires the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') to promulgate consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. These standards are to be ``substantially the same as'' applicable voluntary standards or more stringent than the voluntary standard, if the Commission determines that more stringent requirements would further reduce the risk of injury associated with the product. The Commission is proposing a safety standard for infant bouncer seats (``bouncer seats'') in response to the direction of section 104(b) of the CPSIA. In addition, the Commission is proposing an amendment to 16 CFR part 1112 to include 16 CFR part 1229 in the list of notice of requirements (``NORs'') issued by the Commission.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') announces that the Commission has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') a request for extension of approval of a collection of information associated with the Standard for the Surface Flammability of Carpets and Rugs (16 CFR part 1630) and the Standard for the Surface Flammability of Small Carpets and Rugs (16 CFR part 1631) previously approved under OMB No. 3041-0017. In the Federal Register of June 25, 2015 (80 FR 45509), the CPSC published a notice to announce the agency's intention to seek extension of approval of the collection of information. The Commission received no comments. Therefore, by publication of this notice, the Commission announces that CPSC has submitted to the OMB a request for extension of approval of that collection of information, without change.

The Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') requires third party testing and certification of children's products that are subject to children's product safety rules. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'') has previously issued regulations related to this requirement: A regulation that allows parties to test and certify component parts of products under certain circumstances; and a regulation determining that certain materials or products do not require lead content testing. The Commission is proposing to clarify when component part testing can be used and clarify which textile products have been determined not to exceed the allowable lead content limits. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, the Commission is issuing this determination as a direct final rule. If we receive no significant adverse comment in response to the direct final rule, we will not take further action on this proposed rule.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information under the safety standard for swings, approved previously under OMB Control No. 3041-0155. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting an extension of this collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'').

On September 8, 2015, the federal departments and agencies that are subject to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (referred to as the ``Common Rule'') published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPR'') amending the Common Rule. Through this proposed rule, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') proposes to adopt the Common Rule NPR and solicits public comment on the proposal.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information under the safety standard for play yards, approved previously under OMB Control No. 3041-0152. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting an extension of this collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'').

In this document, the Commission publishes its semiannual regulatory flexibility agenda. In addition, this document includes an agenda of regulatory actions that the Commission expects to be under development or review by the agency during the next year. This document meets the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 12866. The Commission welcomes comments on the agenda and on the individual agenda entries.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``we''), in accordance with section 743(c) of Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117, 123 Stat. 3034, 3216), is announcing the availability of CPSC's service contract inventory for fiscal year (FY) 2014. This inventory provides information on service contract actions that exceeded $25,000 that CPSC made in FY 2014.

It is the policy of the Commission to publish settlements which it provisionally accepts under the Consumer Product Safety Act in the Federal Register in accordance with the terms of 16 CFR 1118.20(e). Published below is a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with Office Depot, Inc., containing a civil penalty of $3,400,000, within twenty (20) days of service of the Commission's final Order accepting the Settlement Agreement.\1\

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC,'' ``Commission,'' or ``we'') will conduct a public hearing to receive information from all interested parties about sources of consumer product-related incident information that could be used to inform the Commission's hazard identification, risk management, and regulatory enforcement work. We invite participation by members of the public.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') is proposing an amendment to the Safety Standard for Architectural Glazing Materials (16 CFR part 1201) to clarify certain test procedures specified in the standard. The CPSC proposes to replace the testing procedures for glazing materials in certain architectural products, set forth in 16 CFR 1201.4, with the testing procedures contained in the voluntary standard, ANSI Z97.1-2009[egr]\2\, American National Standard for Safety Glazing Materials Used in Buildings Safety Performance Specifications and Methods of Test.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') is issuing a final rule to specify that seasonal and decorative lighting products that do not contain any one of three readily observable characteristics (minimum wire size, sufficient strain relief, or overcurrent protection), as addressed in a voluntary standard, are deemed a substantial product hazard under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA''). Additionally, the Commission is making a technical amendment to reformat incorporations by reference in this part.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) has received a petition requesting amendments to the test procedure in the Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles, 16 CFR part 1610. Petitioner requests changes in the requirements for preparation of clothing textiles for flammability testing. The Commission invites comments concerning the petition.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is conducting a review of the Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets (Mattress Standard) as set forth at 16 CFR part 1633, pursuant to Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The purpose of this review is to determine, while protecting consumer safety, whether this standard should be maintained without change, rescinded, or modified to minimize any significant impact of the rule on a substantial number of small entities and whether the rule should be changed to reduce regulatory burden or improve its effectiveness. The CPSC seeks comment on these issues.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in the Federal Register on January 16, 2015, concerning corded window coverings. The ANPR invited the public to submit written comments; the comment period as set in the ANPR ended on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. In response to a request for extension, the Commission is extending the comment period to Monday, June 1, 2015.