no more secondhand clothes? PLEASE read!

Warning - Mama's getting political this time.

(For those of you I have also contacted via email or myspace, I apologize for sending this to you twice. But this is VERY important to me!)

I don't generally get this steamed over new laws, but this one is so far above & beyond what is fair & right... and I'm fighting back this time. I am asking each & every one of you to please take a peek at this law for yourself, and prayerfully consider adding your name to the petitions that are going out to have this one changed... and perhaps even to spread the word to others that may be impacted. This isn't a chain letter it's just me, homeschoolmama, putting this out & praying that those who might be impacted will see it.

Essentially, a new law has gone into effect to help keep children's clothing free of lead. This I agree with wholeheartedly & support. HOWEVER with the way the law was worded it is so broad that all SECONDHAND clothing would also need to go through expensive testing to see if it is "safe," and this is forcing hundreds of secondhand stores to consider closing their doors on February 8th of this year - just one month from now. In our house, we get by financially BECAUSE we depend on finding decent secondhand clothing rather than paying retail prices. In my opinion, it is financially & environmentally the "better choice." Yet this new law would have us paying full-price for ALL clothing... just as my own children are entering their teens with major growth-spurts. Likewise, every store that HAS a stock of secondhand clothing would be forced to just throw them all away, filling up our landfills even more & creating still more JUNK for our already clogged planet.

I have been hunting for the past two days, trying desperately to find out if this law would also impact my own church's freestore. Because nothing is actually sold & it is all given away, it seems that it MAY still be legal - but even that isn't a certainty quite yet. I would hate for this to become a legal problem for our church either, when all we have been trying to do is reach out to the HUNDREDS of needy people in our community.

The complete law is here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4040

and there is a form-letter petition (with a place to add your own personal comments) that will send email letters to your congressmen for you, here: http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/1471/

PLEASE consider adding your name?
love,
mom

 

I was trying to get to the link to sign the petition but it seems that myspace may have deleted the site.

 

ick - sorry, the links should work right now.
love,
mom

 

I read today that second hand stores were actually being exempt from this law.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2009/01/consumer-produc.html

 

Did the whole petition deal, this is absolutely wrong, possibly have kids freeze to death over possible lead? That's sad!

 

Thanks mom!! I signed it !!
I agree mr dot its ridiculous

 

Oh my gosh, thank you SO much jgirl! I feel so much better now
love,
mom

 

Yes, resale is exempt.

 

thats shitty. I grew up on second hand, probably would've froze without it.