CPSC and NCL/ASTM Fail To Reach Agreement On Architectural Glass

While praising NCL/ASTM's cooperation, the Commission said it could not agree to the NCL position that consumer participants in the standards committee have salaries paid by the CPSC.

A Commission spokesman explained, "The question of using Federal funds to pay salaries to consumers under the Section 7 standards development procedures is a policy matter which the Commission considered at length."

"It was their view," the spokesman continued, "that it would be inappropriate to directly fund consumers salaries to participate in the standards development process, although the Commission was, and remains, more than willing to underwrite other expenses for appropriate consumer participation--travel, meal, and hotel costs."

And the spokesman added, "The Commission is encouraged by the large numbers of persons who have responded to the Commission's call for 'volunteers.' Several hundred have already responded to the Commission's call, and letters are coming in at the rate of ten to fifteen per day.

"All of these persons have expressed a willingness to participate in standards development as volunteers," the spokesman said.

Six parties responded to the Commission's invitation for offerors to develop architectural glass standards. The Commission will begin discussions with the Consumer Safety Glazing Committee, one of the other potential offerors, in an attempt to finalize an agreement.

Section 7 of the Consumer Product Safety Act provides the mechanism for development of mandatory safety standards for consumer products regulated under the Act. It contemplates use of "outside" parties to develop standards and requires that the offeror provide an opportunity for involvement of all "interested parties" in the standards-writing process.