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

inez took a different path. she produce i think the most challenging test of the nation to appelee whitter stenson mccullough's 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 on line that will be put into the free market and i just could not think of a better person with the executive experience. she has been a tireless advocate for children allah for life. she is an environmental lawyer. she isdell the toxic waste issues. she is like i say bennett brown politics most of my life and is the type of person that-- she is the type of person that everybody would do you agree with her or not respects, and this is a job with the american consumer needs to understand that they have somebody on their side. the only blemish on her record i can see a she is the bachelor of science from the university of georgia. [laughter] a law degree from south carolina kind of neutralize that. all joking aside i remember what last year was

everybody is going to inez. i will also. first, is both you and your husband are georgians and we're very proud of that. secondly you are a graduate of university of georgia and we're extra proud of that. but thirdly, i had the privilege of cheering the georgia board of education in the late 1990s when he became superintendent of education in south carolina and watched what you did in south carolina and i want to say anything that senator demint was absolutely correct. you get an absolute marvelous job and demonstrate the kind of attitude summit at the cpsc should have to deal with difficult problems. i really don't have a question. i want to do to endorsements. first, is what senator warner said. this is the chinese drywall situation is one of any number of product problems coming out of china. we obviously can't pass laws that regulate production in china, but we have gateways which are our ports and we have a commerce department and we have a cpsc. i think somewhere along the line, if you get a chance, a task force of rep

and i just want to commend to the senate that i think that inez tannenbaum is going to be that leader. she had her nomination hearing earlier this week at the senate commerce committee. throughout her career in the south carolina legislature, inez tannenbaum showed compassion and leadership on these environmental and children's issues. then took charge canned re -- and reinvigorated an agency with over 1,000 employees. by the time she stepped down from that post in 2007, she was recognized for her efforts to improve the accountability, standards and peformance in south carolina's public schools. and i think that this is exactly the kind of leadership that the cpsc needs at this time. and i've met with her personally, and i know her personally, and i strongly support her nomination. and so my concluding comment is, we're not only having problems in florida with chinese drywall. chinese drywall that is completely ruining the lives of people in their homes because of the smell and the corrosion and the sickness that it's bringing on to people. lo and behold, they're finding chinese drywa

i will try to give my to less than five minutes of i can inez tenenbaum, let me ask about your background. i think one of a very significant things you have send in your life is taking on this challenge there in south carolina with education system and. can you tell the committee how you think that as some to prepare you for the task that you have a this cpsc? can i thank you mr. chairman. as state superintendent of education and managed an agency with over a thousand employees. of that agency were to implement policy and regulations passed by the general assembly and we also work with the school district to provide a transportation, food seven less, to provide textbooks, to train teachers in an area of teaching and learning that it had i think what i wanted to know about that is that i had multiple projects going on at the same time paragon had various positions and we regularly had to implement legislation that was passed by the general assembly many times in a very quick fashion. i never tried to find legislation passed by the general assembly. if it wasn't perfect at the moment than a

oee one the thing inez his famous about, when she gets a whole lot bohn she figures out an answer and i can't think of a better person on a host of these fores to take them on. ereat to see you. >> i came for 3 reasons. we are very proud to be georgians and you're a graduate of the university of georgia and we are proud of that. i have the privilege of chairing nde board of education in the 1990's when he became at yrintendent of education in south carolina and watch what you did in south carolina. you did a marvelous job and demonstrated the attitude somebody should have to deal with difficult problems. i don't really have a question. i want to do 2 endorsements. first is what senator warner said. due chinese dry wall situation is one of any number of product problems coming out of china. ee can't pass laws that regulate poduction in china but we have ifays which are our ports and a commerce department and the asc. if you get the chance, a task force of representatives from the port's homeland security can possibly come up with a fresh hold entry to give us some degree of protection,

this morning, this committee had a hearing on inez tenenbaum and her confirmation process. and she had real good ideas about how the cpsc can better communication dangers and recalls and safety and all this stuff to the general public. but one thing that struck me is most of her ideas -- not all, most of them dealt with people having broadband capability so they could receive this type of information from the cpsc. i would like to ask you about the broadband technology and opportunity program in the stimulus package. do you know much about that? and do you have a sense about how that's going to be administ administered? >> my understanding is it's the commerce department and the agriculture department that have the grant-making authority, the sec as i understands it has p s responsibilities to consult with those agencies as they put together the plans for distributing the grant. >> is your understanding the sec is involved in that process? >> my understanding is there's been consultation, yes. >> and is it -- are you happy with what you hear on that? or do you think the fcc