Last night, the House of Representatives gave its final approval to a bill to give more resources and authority to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). House members approved a package, negotiated among House and Senate leaders earlier this week, by a vote of 424-1. The overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill is a sign of how serious a concern product safety has become for consumers and policy makers. Last year's record number of recalls, many of which were for lead-contaminated toys, spotlighted the gaps in the nation's consumer product safety net and the inadequacies of the CPSC. The bill would address many problems by providing CPSC with more money and staff, mandating a ban on lead in children's products, mandating standards for all-terrain vehicle safety, expanding protections for whistleblowers, creating a consumer complaint data base, and much more. One provision would ban phthalates pending further study, a revolutionary concept for the regulation of toxic substances (more on that here). The Senate may vote on the bill as early as today. It is imperative that the Senate finish its work on this bill before it leaves for a lengthy recess. If the Senate does not act by tomorrow, consumers will have to wait until after Labor Day to see this legislation passed. President Bush has expressed opposition to some provisions in the bill but has not threatened a veto. Bush should signal his support for the measure as soon as possible so that we can end the legislative debate and begin taking action to protect consumers. Stay tuned to Reg•Watch for updates.