In light of the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that it will reduce its workforce by one-third and will focus on enforcement actions that protect the public from consumer products that pose an imminent threat. Click here to read the full version of this alert.
On August 27, 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) held a virtual public meeting to preview its 2026–2027 agenda. Acting Commissioner Peter Feldman and Executive Director Brian Lorenze outlined a significant pivot in the agency’s approach to product hazard detection and prevention—centered on artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.Continue Reading CPSC Signals Shift to AI-Driven Product Safety Oversight
On August 19, 2025, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Peter Feldman issued a statement on the continuity of CPSC operations in anticipation of the end of Commissioner Dziak’s holdover term, set to expire in October 2025. The statement, which outlined CPSC leadership’s plans with respect to the agency’s operations in the absence of a quorum, preceded Commissioner Dziak’s August 22, 2025 announcement of his anticipated departure from the agency.Continue Reading CPSC Acting Chairman Feldman Issues Statement on Continuity of Operations Without a Quorum Days Before Commissioner Dziak Announces Anticipated Departure from the Agency
While it is impossible to know whether the eFiling requirements for certificates of compliance at the CPSC will go into effect as planned, companies should keep their eFiling implementation on track for the effective date of July 8, 2026. Click here to read the full version of this alert.
In May 2025, the Trump Administration, asserting Executive authority, terminated the three Democratic Commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. On June 13, 2025, a Maryland district court aborted the without-cause termination while a legal challenge proceeds, leaving the Commissioners in place. No longer.Continue Reading Commission In Limbo: SCOTUS Decision Puts CPSC Democrats Back Out of Action
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has been in the media this month following the reinstatement of the three democratic CPSC commissioners (i.e., Mary Boyle, Richard Trumka Jr., and Alexander Hoehn-Saric) by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. As discussed below, the democratic CPSC commissioners have advanced their majority agenda while their status and reinstatement winds its way through the court system. CPSC action remains strong on recall execution and the agency is soliciting information on several topics including their August priorities hearing, rulemaking and reducing regulatory burdens. Recall announcements for this month include those for: infant sleep products and highchairs, electric blankets, battery-powered tools and small appliances, pool covers and other equipment, and more. Continue Reading CPSC Regulatory Updates (June 2025)
On June 16, 2025, the first-ever sentences were handed down in a criminal prosecution for failure to report under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California sentenced two former Gree USA, Inc. (Gree USA) executives to 38 and 40 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and for failure to report information related to defective dehumidifiers under Section 15 of the CPSA.Continue Reading Corporate Executives Are Sentenced in First-Ever Criminal Prosecution for Failure to Report Under the CPSA
On June 6th, Crowell hosted Former CPSC Chair Ann Brown and Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords as they headlined a roundtable on the importance and impact of gun locks. This joint appearance spotlighted child safety and firearms as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month. Eighty percent of unintentional shootings in the United States are the result
Key staffing changes are afoot at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), as two individuals have recently joined the Agency’s leadership ranks.
Brien Lorenze joined the CPSC as the new Executive Director on March 6, 2025, succeeding Austin Schlick. Executive Director Brien Lorenze most recently served as Senior Advisor in the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). Prior to this role at FinCEN, he served as Chief Data Officer for the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, an independent oversight committee created by Congress in 2020 focused on pandemic relief spending. Mr. Lorenze has also held executive positions at Deloitte, BearingPoint, and IBM Global Services. In announcing Mr. Lorenze as Executive Director, Acting Chairman Feldman said, “[t]he future for agencies like CPSC will require us to leverage technology to make our work more effective and more efficient. We are lucky to have Brien join CPSC to help lead our efforts at such an important moment.”Continue Reading CPSC Announces New Staff Appointments
For the first time since the summer of 2019, the U.S. Congress is holding an oversight hearing for the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). On July 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee is holding an oversight hearing titled “The Fiscal