State

The Toy Association’s state team works with members to influence key policy issues impacting the toy industry and to identify and respond to priority legislation in all 50 states.

Each year, we work on hundreds of bills and administrative rules on topics that have a direct impact on the toy industry – including chemical regulation, packaging and environmental sustainability, privacy and children’s online safety, intellectual property and online retail crime, imitation/toy gun regulations, supply chain management, and battery stewardship.

Our work on the toy industry’s behalf includes drafting legislative language and amendments, providing committee testimony, writing support & opposition letters, building local and national coalitions, grassroots outreach in priority states, and educating legislators on key bills … In addition to traveling to state capitals to meet one-on-one with legislators, regulators, and key staff members to advocate for or against proposed policy affecting the toy industry.

We encourage Toy Association members to join the State Government Affairs Committee to get involved – simply reach out to Erin Raden to learn more.

Priority Bills

We are monitoring hundreds of priority bills across the country. Click here to see what we are working on. (Note: this is a live link that is continually updated. In order to change the list to order the bills by recent activity, click “AZ” in the upper right corner of the page.)

Chemical Regulation

We track and advocate on chemical regulations to ensure children’s safety is protected and that businesses are not subject to unnecessary, overlapping laws. Currently, our advocacy is focused on the Children’s Safe Products Act (Washington State), Kid’s Safe Products Act (Maine), Chemicals Disclosure Program for Children’s Products (Vermont), Toxic Free Kids Act (Oregon), and Toxic Chemicals in Children’s Products (New York).

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

EPR legislation is becoming more common. We offer our members guidance on how to comply with the various laws – currently, there are laws in place in Maine (Extended Producer Responsibility Program for Packaging); Oregon (Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act); Colorado (Producer Responsibility Program); and California (Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility).

The Toy Association has also developed an Extended Producer Responsibility Principles & Priorities document, which can be accessed by Toy Association members.

Product Registrations

Product registration laws apply in specific states. Please take note of the following list to ensure your company is in compliance: Hazardous Consumer Product Registration (Texas); Bedding and Stuffed Toy Registration (Ohio); Stuffed Toy Law (Pennsylvania); Stuffed Toy Regulation (Massachusetts). Note: The Toy Association’s Stuffed Toy Licensing and Labeling Guidance (Members Only).