Today, I voted to approve CPSC’s final rule on eFiling and Certificates of Compliance (to be codified at 16 C.F.R. part 1110). Most goods found to violate American safety standards are coming from abroad, with a large concentration coming from China. It’s CPSC’s job to stop them from reaching your homes, and this rule improves our ability to do that. The rule requires importers to electronically file the information necessary for CPSC to identify and seize products at the ports if they violate American laws and stop them from putting you or your families in danger.

Requiring foreign goods to come with advance-filed copies of testing and compliance information lets our staff better target shipments for inspection that might be hazardous, allowing them to stop and seize those shipments. Better targeting is also good for law-abiding companies because their goods are less likely to be stopped and delayed at the ports, allowing them faster shipping to their customers.

The rule also allows us to tackle the growing problem of the de minimis loophole—small dollar, direct-to-consumer shipments from China and elsewhere that evade normal reporting requirements. Right now, millions of de minimis shipments arrive in the US each day through this loophole. The eFiling rule finally gives us visibility as to what is in those shipments without having to open each one up. It will let us efficiently target those shipments for inspection.

This is a good rule that will save consumers’ lives and prevent injuries. While all five Commissioners voted to approve this important rule, a majority of the Commission has extended the effective date of this rule from 12 months to 18 months for most importers. While I respect my fellow Commissioners and their votes to extend the effective date, I have concerns with delaying this rule beyond our staff’s recommendation. Each day we delay will allow more hazardous foreign products that violate American laws to flood into American homes. And that can mean lives lost or children poisoned by lead toys. Delays benefit foreign manufacturers who are currently breaking the paper certificate law that has been on the books since 2008, and will harm American consumers and law-abiding companies. This rule is the culmination of ten years of hard work by CPSC Staff, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and by companies who volunteered to beta test the eFiling system. After a decade of preparation to create this rule, I support the Commission acting as swiftly as possible to ensure public health and safety.

Faithfully,

Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr.

*The views expressed in this statement are solely the views of Commissioner Trumka and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission.