Nancy Nord
Encyclopedia
Nancy Ann Nord is a commissioner of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC). She was also the only Republican
commissioner, until Anne Northup
was nominated to serve alongside her in 2009. Nord is serving the remainder of a seven-year term that will expire October 26, 2012. The U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment by President George W. Bush
on April 29, 2005; she was sworn into office on May 5. From July 2006 until June 2009, Nord served as acting chairman of the agency. She was replaced as acting chair by Thomas Hill Moore
, a Democrat and the only other active commissioner at the time.
Before joining CPSC, Nord was the Director of Federal Government Relations for the Eastman Kodak Company. In her career she also has been general counsel to the Council on Environmental Quality
at the White House, an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission
, and Republican Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Commerce Committee, specializing in product liability and consumer protection legislation. As well as this, she was a lawyer with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand and the executive director of the American Corporate Counsel Association.
In 2006 and 2007 Nord served as president of Executive Women in Government, a nonprofit organization for senior women government leaders. Nord has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and a law degree from George Washington University
. She was born and raised in South Dakota. She is married to the Honorable James S. Halpern, a judge on the United States Tax Court.
During her time at the CPSC as Acting Chairman, Nord came under scrutiny by Members of the United States Congress
and the media for the agency’s large number of recalled toys that violated the federal lead paint ban. These recalls lead to the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
(CPSIA) in 2008. Nord came under further attack when she raised questions about the wisdom of certain provisions of the legislation as it was being considered by Congress. She has been criticized for being a defender of industry and for slow interpretation and implementation of the CPSIA.
Despite this criticism, Nord has time and time again admonished industry and big business to fully consider consumer safety, for example declaring before the annual International Toy Fair n February 2008,"I will not tolerate this industry or any other not complying with our regulations. This problem must be fixed. We will be relentless with recalls and there is no reason why they can’t certify that every toy has been designed for safety." She also realized the safety issue of youth ATV
s and mini bikes not being available for purchase because of the lead content provisions of the CPSIA. If smaller versions of these bikes were not available due to excess levels of lead, children would be forced to ride on too big adult machines. Because the risk of children getting hurt on adult sized vehicles was greater than the risk of a child getting lead
poisoning from using a youth vehicle, she and Commissioner Thomas Moore voted on a stay of enforcement for this group of vehicles, meaning although the vehicles are in violation of the lead limits put forth in the CPSIA, the CPSC would not come after businesses selling them.
Nord has also stood her ground on the problems and unintended consequences of the CPSIA. She has called on Congress to address the “chaos and confusion” that has ensued from the new law and publicly criticized parts of the law itself citing ambiguous provisions, unrealistic deadlines, and lack of foresight to the impact on small business and industry.
She has voted for delays in enforcement of certain provisions of the act to give the commission time to further interpret the law and industry to come into compliance. Nord’s decisions on the CPSIA have also been backed by the only other commissioner, a Democrat
and by the commission’s lawyers. The first 23 commission votes on the CPSIA were unanimous with a vote of 2-0. During this time, the CPSC was struggling to implement the CPSIA due to the lack of needed funding from Congress. Nord repeatedly requested more funds to implement the law quicker and more effectively; however the resources needed were not appropriated to the agency until March 2009, leaving the agency underfunded during the critical first six months after the CPSIA was signed into law.
In response to a letter sent to the commissioners of the CPSC from Representative John Dingell
, Nord requested career staff at the CPSC to respond frankly to the Congressman’s ten questions of the CPSIA. The staff’s top three proposed beneficial changes reaffirmed her concerns with the law. The career staff’s proposed changes were as follows:
In addition to the activity surrounding enactment and implementation of the CPSIA, under Nord’s leadership, the agency initiated significant activities to address import safety including negotiating agreements with China and other exporting countries, establishing a port surveillance program, expanding the laboratory facilities of the agency and creating the first CPSC international office in Beijing
.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created in 1972 through the Consumer Product Safety Act to protect "against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products." The CPSC is an independent agency that does...
(CPSC). She was also the only Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
commissioner, until Anne Northup
Anne Northup
Anne Meagher Northup is an American Republican politician from the state of Kentucky. From 1997 to 2007, she represented the Louisville-centered 3rd congressional district of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives, where she served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee...
was nominated to serve alongside her in 2009. Nord is serving the remainder of a seven-year term that will expire October 26, 2012. The U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on April 29, 2005; she was sworn into office on May 5. From July 2006 until June 2009, Nord served as acting chairman of the agency. She was replaced as acting chair by Thomas Hill Moore
Thomas Hill Moore
Thomas Hill Moore is a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. federal government. He was first appointed to the commission by President Bill Clinton in 1995 to complete an unexpired term and was reappointed by Clinton to a full seven-year term...
, a Democrat and the only other active commissioner at the time.
Before joining CPSC, Nord was the Director of Federal Government Relations for the Eastman Kodak Company. In her career she also has been general counsel to the Council on Environmental Quality
Council on Environmental Quality
The Council on Environmental Quality is a division of the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives...
at the White House, an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, and Republican Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Commerce Committee, specializing in product liability and consumer protection legislation. As well as this, she was a lawyer with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand and the executive director of the American Corporate Counsel Association.
In 2006 and 2007 Nord served as president of Executive Women in Government, a nonprofit organization for senior women government leaders. Nord has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and a law degree from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. She was born and raised in South Dakota. She is married to the Honorable James S. Halpern, a judge on the United States Tax Court.
During her time at the CPSC as Acting Chairman, Nord came under scrutiny by Members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the media for the agency’s large number of recalled toys that violated the federal lead paint ban. These recalls lead to the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 is a United States law signed on August 14, 2008 by President George W. Bush. The legislative bill was known as HR 4040, sponsored by Congressman Bobby Rush . On December 19, 2007, the U.S. House approved the bill 407-0. On March 6, 2008, the U.S....
(CPSIA) in 2008. Nord came under further attack when she raised questions about the wisdom of certain provisions of the legislation as it was being considered by Congress. She has been criticized for being a defender of industry and for slow interpretation and implementation of the CPSIA.
Despite this criticism, Nord has time and time again admonished industry and big business to fully consider consumer safety, for example declaring before the annual International Toy Fair n February 2008,"I will not tolerate this industry or any other not complying with our regulations. This problem must be fixed. We will be relentless with recalls and there is no reason why they can’t certify that every toy has been designed for safety." She also realized the safety issue of youth ATV
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
s and mini bikes not being available for purchase because of the lead content provisions of the CPSIA. If smaller versions of these bikes were not available due to excess levels of lead, children would be forced to ride on too big adult machines. Because the risk of children getting hurt on adult sized vehicles was greater than the risk of a child getting lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
poisoning from using a youth vehicle, she and Commissioner Thomas Moore voted on a stay of enforcement for this group of vehicles, meaning although the vehicles are in violation of the lead limits put forth in the CPSIA, the CPSC would not come after businesses selling them.
Nord has also stood her ground on the problems and unintended consequences of the CPSIA. She has called on Congress to address the “chaos and confusion” that has ensued from the new law and publicly criticized parts of the law itself citing ambiguous provisions, unrealistic deadlines, and lack of foresight to the impact on small business and industry.
She has voted for delays in enforcement of certain provisions of the act to give the commission time to further interpret the law and industry to come into compliance. Nord’s decisions on the CPSIA have also been backed by the only other commissioner, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and by the commission’s lawyers. The first 23 commission votes on the CPSIA were unanimous with a vote of 2-0. During this time, the CPSC was struggling to implement the CPSIA due to the lack of needed funding from Congress. Nord repeatedly requested more funds to implement the law quicker and more effectively; however the resources needed were not appropriated to the agency until March 2009, leaving the agency underfunded during the critical first six months after the CPSIA was signed into law.
In response to a letter sent to the commissioners of the CPSC from Representative John Dingell
John Dingell
John David Dingell, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1955 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, Nord requested career staff at the CPSC to respond frankly to the Congressman’s ten questions of the CPSIA. The staff’s top three proposed beneficial changes reaffirmed her concerns with the law. The career staff’s proposed changes were as follows:
| Proposed Changes | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Limit the applicability of new requirements to products manufactured after the effective date, except in circumstances where the Commission decided that exposure to a product presents a health and safety risk to children. |
| 2. | Lower the age limit used in the definition of children’s products to better reflect exposure and give the CPSC discretion to set a higher age for certain materials or classes of products that pose a risk to older children or to younger ones in the same household. |
| 3. | Allow the CPSC to address certification, tracking labels and other issues on a product class or other logical basis using risk assessment methodologies to establish need, priorities and a phase-in schedule. |
In addition to the activity surrounding enactment and implementation of the CPSIA, under Nord’s leadership, the agency initiated significant activities to address import safety including negotiating agreements with China and other exporting countries, establishing a port surveillance program, expanding the laboratory facilities of the agency and creating the first CPSC international office in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.