By unanimous vote, the United States Senate has confirmed Nancy Harvey Steorts as the new Chairman and Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Steorts was nominated by President Reagan on July 9 and testified at a confirmation hearing July 21 held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation chaired by Senator Robert Kasten (R.-Wisconsin).
During her confirmation hearing, Steorts stated that "A new future lies ahead for the Consumer Product Safety Commission." She emphasized that because of limited resources it is now necessary to analyze the entire program at CPSC and focus only on those areas which truly pose an unreasonable risk of injury. "It is critical," she said, "that CPSC set a few appropriate priorities and proceed to move in those situations where the marketplace has not been able to resolve the problems."
Steorts sees a public which is much more interested and concerned about product safety. She pledged to "work closely with industry as well as consumers to develop responsible voluntary programs which are innovative and effective and will stimulate product safety."
Steorts told Senator Kasten that "Today there is very definitely a new wave sweeping across this country to slow down government, to decrease government regulation and to make government more responsive to its people. The era of confrontation and adversity is past." Steorts sees an era of cooperation between government, the consumer and the affected industry.
Steorts, 44, has an extensive background in consumer affairs in both the public and private sectors. Formerly she served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture for Consumer Affairs during the Nixon and Ford Administrations. In 1977, she founded Nancy Harvey Steorts and Associates, a firm specializing in consumer affairs. During 1979 and 1980 Steorts served as Chairman of CPSC's National Advisory Committee on Flammable Fabrics. In recent months, she has worked as a consultant to Virginia H. Knauer, Special Assistant to the President and Director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs.
As a graduate of Syracuse University, Steorts was honored as the most outstanding student in her class. More recently, she received Syracuse University's highest alumni award -- the George P. Arents Medal -- for Excellence in Government.
Among her many awards and honors, she is listed in World's Who's Who of Women and the Who's Who of American Women.
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
For lifesaving information:
- Visit CPSC.gov.
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- Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
- Call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
- Contact a media specialist.
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