Update - FDA Globalization Act of 2009I have been asked to comment on the current status of the FDA Globalization Act of 2009, H.R. 759.
The FDA Globalization Act of 2009 actually started as a draft bill in 2008. It was sponsored is Congressman Dingell (D-MI). The bill would provide further laws and regulation for food, drugs and cosmetics in the United States. In 2009, there was support for additional food safety regulations and lack of support for the drug and cosmetic portions of the bill. As a result, a new food safety bill was written and approved by the House of Representatives (H.R. 2749).
It is my belief that H.R. 759 will not gain enough support to pass through Congress before the November elections. At that point, the bill will expire.
My Thoughts on Cosmetics Made By Small Businesses
It is my belief that small businesses making small batches of cosmetics are producing products with the utmost attention to detail. These are not minimum wage workers that could care less about the products they are making, these are individual entrepreneurs working to produce something better than what is available to the retail market. They depend on making the best products because they know good products lead to increased sales......making it possible for them to contribute even more money to their household income.
My Thoughts on Possible Future Legislation
It is my belief that consumers expect safe cosmetics and they are currently purchasing safe cosmetics under current laws and FDA regulations.
It is my belief that special interest groups will continue to lobby members of Washington for additional regulation of cosmetics. This is disappointing to me because I am NOT a supporter of needless over regulation. I strongly believe our current FDA Laws and Regulations have historically proven that they work and needless over regulation will cause unnecessary work for small businesses and unneeded expenses to the FDA.
It is my belief that the problem of contaminated products imported into the US with false documents is not specific to the cosmetic industry. It is an issue that requires regulation across all industries. Laws addressing this issue should address the real problem and be written in such a way that they do not penalize or provide a burden to any business safely producing products in the United States.
What Will WSP Do To Support Customers?
Wholesale Supplies Plus will continue to provide high quality products that are handled with the utmost care. We will continue to devote a significant amount of our annual budget to customer education. We will continue to produce product videos and provide expanded internet product descriptions. We will continue to produce videos that educate customers on compliance current laws and FDA Regulations.
To legislators and lobbyists, I will continue to ask the questions:
1. Why is more regulation needed?
2. What part of the current laws and regulations are failing?
3. Who is behind the suggested changes and what do they have to gain?
It is my strong belief that elected officials want to do the right thing and they need to hear from people that are not represented by special interest groups. Therefore, I will continue to quitely work behind the scenes with elected officials, presenting them with current data and hard facts about our industry. They need to see that this industry does not require needless over regulation...regulation that will drive artisans and entrepreneurs out of business.
I hope this answers many of the questions I have received. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me directly at Debbie@WholesaleSuppliesPlus.com
Working Hard for Your Success!
Debbie May
http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/
1-800-359-0944
Post Note:
I am often asked how an idea becomes a law. Here is a brief summary......
Most “ideas” that become a law go through many long and arduous steps. An idea must first have an elected official sponsor from either the House of Representatives or Senate. Very often the idea is an issue that an elected official holds close to their heart or they have contacts that have an interest in a topic.
Staffers of the elected official are the people that write the draft bill. Once the bill is approved by the elected official sponsor, it is introduced to the side of Congress the elected official is a member. Depending on which side of Congress a bill is introduced, it is assigned a bill number. Bills introduced into the House of Representatives have the letters H.R. and bills introduced into the Senate start with the letter S.
Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a subcommittee in either the House of Representatives or the Senate (depending on which side it as introduced). The subcommittee holds bill discussions, public hearings and makes amendments (changes to the language). Many bills die at this point, never making it out of subcommittee...but some do get passed. If the bill does pass the subcommittee it is then either sent to another subcommittee or sent to floor for a full member vote. If a bill gets approved in half of the Congress (such as the House of Representatives) it then goes to the other half of Congress (such as the Senate) for the same subcommittee, amendment and voting process. If a bill passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate it goes to the President of the United States for a signature. The President can sign the bill into law or he can “veto the bill”, sending it back to Congress.
All bills presented to Congress must pass before the members change at the next election. The House of Representatives are elected every 2 years and the Senate s every 6 years. Bills currently pending must pass before the elections or the bill expires.
3 comments:
Hi Debbie,
Your position is well stated and of benefit to the entire industry of handcrafted soaps and cosmetics. I agree that no legislation is really necessary and is attempting to sole a problem that doesn't exist.
That being said, I hope that if we can't STOP new legislation, e can at least get sufficient exemptions of flexibility to reduce business-stopping burdens on our small industry.
If, in your work, you see that something unstoppable is coming, please do what you can to make sure that our industry is protected as much as possible.
Marie Gale
Chandler's Soaps
Is the reason for the 'need' for increased regulation brought on by the large companies who are seeing consumers purchasing handmade items instead of their mass-produced soaps and cosmetics? We, as soapers, are merely a drop in the bucket compared to the large companies, but there are more and more soapers every day, and as a whole, I am sure the companies have noticed....
To Beth: the industry statics stated that there will be an increase estimated at 28% of all consumers; in a 6 month window, that will begin purchasing or making their own natural care products due to current health and skin problems related to disease and health issues; to lower their own risks and better the health of their families. This estimate was done back in August of this year and announced on the radio and CNN. Thus, driving the increased attention of regulation even faster to somehow compensate and consume the consumers' dollars. Example would be the many companies promoting and selling "Go Green" Products being sold and seen everywhere. Everybody wants in on the action now that its the way to make money and many are finally starting to hear us screaming about all natural body care. The skin is our largest organ, consumers realize that what goes on, does in fact, go in.
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