Monday, February 23, 2009

Low Hanging Fruit

Ok...enough's enough already. When are our elected officials going to start working on the issues Oregonians care about.

Bill banning toy-like lighters passes swiftly off Senate floor

HB 2365 will ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of dangerous toy-like lighters

SALEM – The Senate voted today to ban toy-like lighters, a victory for children’s safety and fire prevention. These novelty lighters, often modeled after popular cartoon characters, can be easily mistaken by children for actual toys – a problem that contributes to unintentional fires and injuries.

“There have been fires in Oregon that have been traced back to children playing with toy-like lighters,” said Suzanne Bonamici (D-NE Washington and NW Multnomah Counties), chair of the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee. “By removing these products from the shelves, we’re helping to prevent fires and protect our children.”

Several Oregon cities have already banned the sale of novelty lighters within their jurisdiction. Once signed by the governor, Oregon will join Maine and Tennessee as states that have enacted legislation to ban the sale of toy-like lighters statewide.

“I can think of no legitimate reason for these products to exist in the marketplace,” said Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin). “Even to an adult, the nature of these products is deceiving. This is common-sense legislation and I was not surprised to see overwhelming support for this legislation on the floor today.”

HB 2365 will now move to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh come on. You're really going to have an issue with our elected representatives voting to help our children be safer?

It's a minor bill which passes with little fanfare and little extra work. It's part of a larger tapestry of the legislative session, and isn't clogging any other work.

David McDonald said...

I think you mean lots of fanfare and very little work. That's why the post is titled "Low Hanging Fruit".