Citizen Health & Safety

Federal Meat Inspectors Spread Thin as Recalls Rise

The federal regulator of meat, poultry, and egg products, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), faces resource limitations that make it more difficult for the agency to ensure the safety of the food supply. Although the agency's budget has risen since it was created, staffing levels have dropped steadily. Widespread vacancies in the agency have spread FSIS's inspection force too thin. Meanwhile, the number of meat, poultry, and egg product recalls has risen, and a recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef is the largest in the nation's history.

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Disillusioned EPA Staff Walk Away from Negotiating Table

Mar 4, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Friday, EPA announced administrator Stephen Johnson's official rationale for denying the state of California's request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Pressure from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee revealed that Johnson rejected the advice of agency scientists and legal counsel. Johnson's staff argued that California request met every criterion for receiving permission to develop regulations more strict than those of the federal government.

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High Court Expands Federal Preemption in Medical Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up a series of cases that addresses the issue of whether federal agency approval of medical devices and drugs shields manufacturers of those products from liability under state laws. In a case decided Feb. 20, the Court held that federal law preempts state liability claims if certain medical devices received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The Court also considered if that same protection should be extended to drug manufacturers.

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Bush Administration to Alter Employee Leave Protections

The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a proposed rule that would alter federal protections for workers who need to take leave to care for themselves or their families. DOL chose to pursue the rule changes after hearing complaints from industry lobbyists.

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Environmental, Worker Safety Rules Targeted by Industry Groups

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Advocacy has finalized a list of ten rules it will encourage federal agencies to modify. The Office of Advocacy compiled the list after receiving recommendations from small businesses and industry lobbyists.

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Senate Republicans Attack CPSC Reform Bill

Feb 29, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Over at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) blog, Dylan Blaylock previews next week's Senate showdown over legislation that would expand the resources and responsibilities of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The House version of the bill (H.R. 4040) passed in December in a 407-0 vote, but things may not go so smoothly in the Senate.

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Regulatory Hit-List Finalized

Feb 28, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy announced its final list of regulations under its regulatory review and reform initiative. Ultimately, this list tees up 10 rules the Bush administration may attempt to rollback in its final year in office.

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OK Corral May Gain National Park Status

Feb 27, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Bush administration will likely spend its last year in power trying to accomplish through regulation what it cannot accomplish legislatively. Associated Press reporter Matthew Daly (via GovExec.com) portends another of these 11th hour administrative changes: Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Friday that his department will review gun laws on lands administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials will draw up new rules by April 30 for public comment, Kempthorne said in a letter to 50 senators who requested the review.

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Governors Strike Back on Bush Attempt to Gut Medicaid, SCHIP

Feb 27, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The Bush administration's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has spent the better part of the past year pushing for changes at the federal level that would make it more difficult for states to administer government healthcare benefits.

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Toys "R" Us Announces Lead, Phthalate Standards

Feb 26, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Toys "R" Us has announced plans to enforce a voluntary standard for lead in toys tighter than the mandatory federal standard. According to the retailer's press release, "We have instructed all manufacturers who produce items for Toys "R" Us, Inc. that products shipped to the company on or after March 1, 2008 must comply with strict new standards, which include…applying a more stringent standard of 90 ppm for lead in surface coatings versus the current federal standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys "R" Us, Inc."

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