Toy Association Applauds Passage of New Bill that Protects Consumers & Improves Supply Chains
February 7, 2022 | The Toy Association applauds the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act (America COMPETES Act) on February 5. The act addresses key issues for the toy industry including pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and the dangers posed by counterfeits sold online.
As previously reported, the U.S. House of Representatives’ inclusion of the SHOP SAFE Act and the INFORM Consumers Act in the America COMPETES Act incorporated recommendations from The Toy Association’s 2020 IP White Paper that highlighted the importance of increased seller vetting and consumer transparency for third-party marketplaces to protect families from potentially dangerous counterfeits online.
The bill also included another key provision for the toy industry — the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which will tackle the long-term systemic issues impacting the supply chain and ports that The Toy Association and partners across a range of consumer products and retail have been urging Congress to address.
“Entering 2022, we knew that these ongoing challenges that have plagued the toy industry would not simply fade away—ports are still seeing delays and dangerous counterfeits are still finding their way into the hands of innocent children,” said Ed Desmond, executive vice president of external affairs at The Toy Association. “So, the passage of the America COMPETES Act by the House is a positive step forward in addressing important issues impacting consumers and businesses alike. And in the weeks ahead, The Toy Association will continue to advocate for the inclusion of these measures as the House and Senate look to come to an agreement on the differences between the America COMPETES Act and the Senate's version, the United States Innovation and Competition Act.”
The Toy Association will continue to keep members apprised of new developments. Questions may be directed to Jennifer Gibbons, senior vice president of government affairs at The Toy Association.