over from belarus every year for recouptive holidays. will he explain why the home office decided not to give free visas to the chernobyl children from the north of ukraine who are actually suffering worst conditions than those from belarus and will he meet me and the delegation of the charities to discuss this important issue? >> mr. speaker, i know he's raised this matter on many occasions and he's taken a very deep interest in this and he's held an adjournment debate on this very matter. he's raising questions about the home office and what they can do to help. i suggest that he may ask for a meeting with the home expect and i'm sure the home secretary will be happy to meet his delegation. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. my right honorable friend may know that i have in my constituency three of the five biggest energy users and they are concerned about the increasing energy costs. what is my right honorable friend doing to protecting them

with the cost. >> we're concerned of the fifty % oil prices from the time when the oil price was $150 to $30 it's gone up to $70 and that means it's difficult for energy companies in this country but very difficult for consumers and very difficult when we look at future gas and electricity bills. i believe that the world has got to look at what it can do to make sure that supply and demand in oil is far more in balance and we can keep oil prices in control. >> from london, you've been watching prime minister's question time from the british house of commons aired live every wednesday while parliament is in session. you can see it again on sunday night. for more information go to c-span.org at the top of the home page click on c-span series for prime minister's questions,

british parliament and legislators around the world. you can watch other videos dealing with other international issues. >> now the confirmation hearing for the administration's nominee to head the consumer product

safety commission. inez tenenbaum is the former superintendent of schools in south carolina. this is a little less than an hour and a half. >> i'll go ahead and call us to order here. i want to thank miss tenenbaum for being here and i also want to thank senator rockefeller for asking me to chair this today. we are on a relatively tight time frame here because we have a vote scheduled on the senate floor at 11:45. so what i propose with my colleagues's indulgence i'll do a very brief opening statement, senator hutchenson is on her way and if she wants to do an opening statement and i'll introduce our brointroducers an we'll let our nominee speak and we'll try to keep our questions to five minutes. we understand there's several

senators on the way but they've encouraged me to get started given our time frame this morning. i'm very delighted to have miss tenenbaum here. she is a real breath of fresh air. i'm glad that the white house saw fit to nominate her. i knew that we were in pretty good shape when the day she was announced we had several consumer groups as well as business groups who came out in support of her. she also has the encouragement and support of her two home state senators. and we all know on this committee -- we understand the trials and tribulations of the cpsc over the last few years. just in layman's years they had their budget cut and dwindles resources as its challenges have increased. and when we saw this huge influx of products overseas most notably china, but many places

overseas, the cpsc just, quite frankly, was not able to keep pace with that and was overwhelmed and we've been working on this over the cpsc couple of years in this committee. we were able to pass a bill last year. it passed overwhelmingly. it went through both houses. it went through conference. unfortunately, since this bill passed there's been a lot of controversy about the implementation of that. most of that has been resolved at this point. there's still a few outstanding issues. so miss tenenbaum assuming that she is -- assuming she is confirmed which i don't think there's any question about that at this point based on what i know, she will inherit a lot of things that she has to get in order and things to fix and we're very delighted that you're here. so until senator hutchison gets here, what i may do is introduce senator lindsey graham of south

carolina for a statement. welcome to the committee. >> well, thank you, mr. chairman. i'm honored to be here. it's a big honor for all the people in south carolina to have inez nominated for such an important job. and i call her inez because everybody that knows her feels very comfortable with her as a person. she is an enormously talented person. i'd like to thank president obama for nominating her. as you indicated, this is an area where you can make news quickly. the chairman of the consumer product safety commission really holds the public trust and i can assure you the american people and are going to be in good hands with inez with this very public safety institution. she has a background that is just, i think, perfect for the job. she was our superintendent of education from 1996 -- excuse me, from 1998 to 2007. we had the fastest advancement of any state in the nation in terms of national assessment in

terms of our student population and that was a real desire of ours to make sure our students improved and they did and at the end of her tenure, our state was recognized as having the most rigorous academic standards assessment and accountability system in the nation. and i think that's important for this job. you know, in education, you can devise a test for the teachers and yourself or for the students. and a lot of people, you know, make sure that everybody does well on the test. inez took a different path. she produced, i think, the most challenging test in the nation to evaluate our students and the goals is to bring out the best in the students of south carolina and she's going to do the same thing here. rigor will be applied to the products coming online that will be put into the free he market, and i just could not think of a better person with the executive experience. she's been a tireless advocate for children all of her life. she's an environmental lawyer. she's dealt with toxic waste issues. she's like i say she's been

around politics most of my life and is the type of person that sam likes too. she's the type of person, everybody, whether you agree with or not respects. and this is a job where the american consumer needs to understand that they have somebody on their side. the only blemish on her record i can see she's got a bachelor of science and master's from the university of georgia. [laughter] >> a law degree from south carolina kind of neutralized that. all joking aside, i remember what last year was like with what this committee went through and inez tenenbaum has the most experience we need and the heart for what we need. she will look out for the american public and she will give the american people the leadership they deserve and this organization that protects us all will be in good hands and i recommend her to this committee and on behalf of all south carolinians, thank you for holding this hearing so timely. and i look forward to having her

confirmed should not >> thank you, senator graham. senator demint? >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i too thank you for expediting this hearing my only reservation in endorsing inez is that that endorsement might hurt her with this committee. [laughter] >> i hope that you'll overlook that. we are very proud that she is representing south carolina. and she has been an advocate for children. she's practiced environmental law and public interest law. she is a serious nominee for this position and she has dealt with all of the issues and a large controversial public agency in south carolina. and did that with a lot of professionalism and style. and as some of you know, that

she and i were in a hard fought race for the senate in 2004. and i was very excited to hear about the nomination and my support means that i hope she won't run against me again. [laughter] >> but we are delighted and i know this committee has had a chance to meet her. there's absolutely no reason that we can't move her through in a hurry and put her at the helm of this agency as the chairman has pointed out. has a lot of challenges. we have increased the budget significantly. there'll be a lot of people hired and there's probably no one better qualified to manage all of this than inez tenenbaum. i definitely support her to the committee and look forward to her confirmation. >> thank you, senator demint and at some point you would join us on the committee we would love that and senator graham you're

welcomed to stick around. senator hutchison has joined us. would you like to say anything before we turn it over to our one and only witness today? >> no, mr. chairman. i'd like to hear from her and then i will incorporate my opening statement spoke my question. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> inez tenenbaum you come highly recommended. we appreciate your interest in public service and your willingness to take on this agency and all its very, very important tasks and responsibilities that it has. we would be delighted to hear your opening statement. >> good morning, mr. chairman. ranking member, hutchison and members of the senate commerce, science and transportation committee. first of all, i want to say thank you to my two senators, jim demint and lindsey graham. it's an honor to have both of the senators from my state support me and i want to say that i appreciate so much your being willing to step forward and then doors me to this committee so thank you.

and i'm honored by president barack obama's nomination of me to serve as the chairman of the united states consumer products safety commission. i thank the president for this tremendous opportunity and if confirmed by the senate, i will do my utmost to ensure the safety and the well-being of america's children and families. i want to introduce my husband, samuel. he and i have just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and i support him -- i thank him for his support and his encouragement during this nomination process. both samuel and i were raised in georgia. he is from savannah and i'm from a small town called pine view. my mother was an elementary school teacher and my father, william robert moore had a career in the united states navy. with president obama's approach to governance, if confirmed as chairman, i will ensure that the commission is operated in an open, transparent and collaborative way. as the new chairman i will reassure that the government will protect them from unknown

and unforeseeable dangers in the products they use while emphasizing the life-saving mission of the commission i will also ensure that industry knows that their views will be heard and seriously considered. i want to assure you that if i'm confirmed as the chairman of the consumer products safety commission i will be a partner with all of you. and protecting the lives and the health of the children in our country. my life's mission has been enhancing the quality of life for children and families in south carolina. this mission has remained constant though i've worked in different venues and on many different issues affecting the safety, health and the well-being of the children of my state. from 1999 to 2007, i served as south carolina superintendent of education and directed and managed a state agency of nearly 1,000 employees. the department of education was a partner with the state's 85 school districts in implementing legislation and policy that was passed by the south carolina general assembly.

prior to being elected state superintendent of education i worked in various policies and advocate for children and families, a public school teacher, licensing head starts, research director of a legislative committee and an attorney in a attorney in a private practice. i practiced in the area of health, environmental law and public safety. during this time, i served as the chairman of the environmental and natural resources section of the south carolina bar. and before going into private practice, i was the director of a committee of the house of representatives and interestingly enough, that committee reported out the first south carolina lead poisoning prevention and control lag. we dealt with drug prevention health act and the waste management act. i'm well aware if confirmed i would assume the chairmanship of an agency that's faced with many challenges and i want to ensure you that these -- that i will work collaboratively with the other commissioners at the commission as well as with you to ensure that the consumer

product safety improvement act of 2008 is implemented in a timely and effective manner. those conclude my remarks this morning, mr. chairman. and i wanted to say that if confirmed by you that i will work with you is and a full partnership to implement the laws that you pass. that i thank you -- that i wanted you to thank you for your attention and for your full and fair nomination and i welcome your questions. >> what i'd like to do is have everyone submit their opening statements for the record and just dive right into questions and i'll start. and i'll try keep mine to less than five minutes if i can. miss tenenbaum, let me ask about your background. i think one of the very significant things you've done in your life is taking on the

challenges there in south carolina with the education system. can you tell the committee how you think that has helped to prepare you for the tasks that you have at the cpsc? >> thank you, mr. chairman. as state superintendent of education, i managed an agency with over 1,000 employees. that agency worked to implement policy, and regulations that were passed by the general assembly and we also worked with the school district to provide transportation, food service to provide textbooks, to train teachers in an area to -- of teaching and learning and what i wanted you to do that i had projects at the same time. i had to pass them in a very quick fashion.

i never tried to fight legislation passed by the general assembly. if it wasn't perfect at the moment, then i worked with the general assembly and worked with the statute to see if i could implement that statute. i am very familiar with the regulatory process, due process, writing regulations, carrying them out. working to form consensus with industry, with advocacy groups, with people concerned about the well-being of children to make sure everyone has a fair hearing. i think that has trained me to know being in the executive branch that we are not alone in the executive branch. that if i'm confirmed as chairman, that i need to have a partnership with you to inform you regularly on matters that the commissions involved and seek your guidance and assistance in carrying out the laws that you pass. >> thank you. and could you talk a little bit about your management style? you mentioned you had 1,000

employees in south carolina. you'll have 500 here. i think it's fair to say and i think most people would agree that there is an issue of morale at the consumer products safety commission just for various reasons. could you talk a little bit about your management style and some of the things you would like to see happen at cpsc. >> thank you, mr. chairman. if confirmed i want to assure you that the commission will operate in an open, transparent, and collaborative way and in a way that engenders the trust from the president, the congress and the american people. the commission will have proper management and accountable controls and operate to the greatest efficiency. i want to employ persons with the greatest talent, integrity and motivation to protect the americans from products. one thing that is urge sent is the product consumer product safety act which you passed last year. we have certification of

products that is coming online, accreditation of third-party laboratories, tracking labels that are due, guidance is due in august. we also have a mandate under that law to increase public awareness on consumer products and create a website in which consumers can talk about their experiences with products and search other products. that is one of the largest challenges that we will face is timely implementation so we can write regulations so that industry has guidance. i have heard about the morale at the agency and i think some of that morale comes from the fact that they've had a large agenda and they've had surge of imports and so much to handle and yet they did not have the staff in place and did not have the budget necessary to meet all of these challenges. so i want to work with you to use wisely the 71% increase in the budget that you provided for this coming year.

to hire the people who have the greatest motivation to protect the people. and to work to settle many of these uncertainties that have arisen of consequences you may not have anticipated when you passed the act. >> thank you. and i do think this is going to be a work in progress. i think you need a little bit of time to get your feet wet and get your bearings there at that agency. as issues present themselves, i'm sure the committee would appreciate hearing from you on various things, whatever they may be. challenges, successes, whatever they may be. i think it's probably a good idea maybe for you to come back to the -- either the committee formally or have a meeting informally with us and i'll just say 60 days after your confirmation to give us a sense of how things are going and if there are specific issues that are still out there, maybe we can talk about those in detail once you're there. senator hutchison? >> well, thank you,

mr. chairman. i was very pleased to have a meeting with miss tenenbaum last week and i was very encouraged with her talk of her record, of working with the south carolina legislature and your position as head of education in the state and i think that's a good sign for working with congress as well. as you know, we did pass the act last year. our chairman was a real leader in that effort. and i think that many good things were done in that legislation. however, there are some glitches as often happens with legislation and some areas where there has been a difference of opinion. about the intent of some of the language. so i would like to ask you a couple of questions. first is the required question that the ranking member always asks and that is that our

committee has always worked well with staffs in the agencies and the heads of agencies and when we are developing or proposing legislation, we need the technical expertise and my question is, can all of our members of our committee count on being able to call into your agency for the expertise that we might need to help us draft legislation or do exercise our responsibility in oversight? >> yes, senator. and thank you for that question. you will have access to the work of the agency. we have very talented people at the agency. you can talk with the scientists, with the engineers, with the experts in that area and also we want you to be able to call me at any time or any member of my staff. we will work with you in partnership. >> well, one thing i think our committee probably will need to

do is have a hearing on the act that we passed last year to see where the kinks are and see where we need to do some technical corrections. let me ask you one question on that. you know -- because we discussed some of the unintended results impacting thrift stores, charity sales, small businesses and you used the word "commonsense" and your description of what you think is right in the enforcement arena. so i would ask you if you think the law gives you sufficient flexibility for the commonsense enforcement that i think we agree is the right standard. and where do you think it doesn't give enough flexibility and the law is clear even if it is pretty hard to enforce? >> well, thank you, senator.

it would be premature and we talked about this in the office to take a position on whether the law needs to be amended. but i hope that my tenure at the commission will be seen as a tenure where we worked with people to exercise commonsense in a regulatory manner. acting chairman moore has said that we need to wait till the commission is fully formed to collectively make decisions and i am a collaborator. i want the input of my fellow commissioners as well as the staff and also in conversation with you to talk about can we go ahead and implement some areas of the law or will there be areas that are unclear. as soon as we can get guidance clear. as soon as we can get guidance and regulations in place, industry will not what to do. i know there are some areas like tracking labels that industry is wondering what are we going to do about this? as soon as we can get guidance in place in all these areas

working with industry and consumers their concerns are heard, the less i believe you will hear here in the senate about the law. >> can i ask you one other question and that is the use of stays of enforcement where you have found that a business needs more time to comply with the law. do you think the stays of enforcement are sufficient or do you think we need to revisit maybe that area of the law to give more flexibility again when a business does need more time or in the situation with the youth atv vehicles where there needs to be some other approach? >> well, the commission -- thank you, senator, the commission has issued a general stay of enforcement on testing and certification requirements. there are some products that are not included in that like lead-based paint and pacifiers and cribs but they specifically issued a stay of enforcement for

the atvs to give the industry more time to look at removing lead -- to see if they could remove lead from the atvs without jeopardizing structural integrity. the stays of enforcements seem to be working. for testing and certification give the commission time to write regulations and as soon as these regulations are in place, we probably -- the commission will probably have to issue fewer stays of enforcement. as i have found out in doing my research in talking to members of this committee and to others who are involved with enforcing the law, that what is needed is the clear guidance on all of these sections of the cpsc and also regulations and once those are in place i think you'll see fewer stays of enforcement. >> thank you very much. thank you, mr. chairman.

>> thank you. >> thanks, mr. chairman. and thank you, miss tenenbaum, for your willingness to take on this assignment. we in our professional life here have a chance to meet candidates for office that are recommended and it's so nice very frankly when we have someone who is here presenting themselves to a committee who have the kind of background that you have which is, i think, perfectly suited to taking the responsibility that you're about to take. and i noticed that your focus is on the quality of life for children. that's a really a principle focus for the consumer product

safety commission. and one of the things that we've seen happening now is that there is a focus on toy guns. news reports have shown the popularity among children with toy guns that look like real ak-47s or other assault rifles. as a matter of fact, in some instances young people have been killed by police officers who believed because these guns looked so realistic that they're holding a weapon and the consequence is terrible. and we see lots of injuries. 2007, we had something like 11,000 injuries from toy guns, whether it's in the production of these things, whether it's the way the parts are pu together. but last year you were discussing morale a moment ago with the chairman. i sent a letter to the cpsc asking it to investigate this issue.

but i never received a response. now, i'm hoping with your confirmation that you'll work with me to review the safety of these guns. is that a problem for you in any way? >> no, sir. >> not the working with me. [laughter] >> >> thank you, senator. i will work with all the members of the congress. when i was state superintendent of education, if a member of the legislature wrote me, i answered that letter. in fact, those letters were -- i read them personally. we sat down and if we needed to call the house or senate member we did to find out -- >> but your assurance is noted. last year i met with a new jersey family whose daughter was severely injured due to a crib that collapsed. oddly enough, my wife's daughter, my stepdaughter had a baby and she's just turning