On June 1, 2026, the White House issued a statement that Brien Lorenze of Virginia is nominated as a commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a term of seven years, from October 27, 2024, filling the seat vacated by Commissioner Doug Dziak.
Continue Reading Brien Lorenze Nominated Commissioner of Consumer Product Safety Commission
Navigating a Shifting Landscape
The U.S. pet industry is booming—an estimated $143.6 billion market in 2023, with over 152 million American households that own at least one pet. Alongside this growth, however, comes increasing scrutiny regarding the safety of pet products. Recent high-profile incidents, such as Petmate’s nationwide recall of Pet Zone pet toys due to non-compliant button cell batteries, have highlighted not only the risks to pets and households, but also the potential for significant financial and reputational harm to companies.
Continue Reading Pet Product Regulation May be Nipping at the Heels
A new lawsuit alleging that major gaming platforms deliberately use psychological techniques to addict minors reflects a broader litigation trend in video games and mirrors social media addiction cases already yielding significant jury verdicts. Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.
A new bill introduced in the California legislature proposes to overhaul the state’s product recall liability framework—and depending on where you sit in the supply chain, the consequences could be far-reaching. Assembly Bill 2462 would amend the state’s Product Recall Safety and Protection Act to redefine who qualifies as a “manufacturer,” broaden the scope of cost-free recall obligations, and dramatically increase penalties for violations. Introduced by Assembly Member Pellerin on February 20, 2026, the bill’s provisions would apply across the consumer product supply chain, touching manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and, most notably, brand licensors.
Continue Reading The Hidden Recall Risk in Your Licensing Agreement: What California’s Assembly Bill 2462 Could Mean for Your Business
On February 12, 2026, a bipartisan group of legislators in Maryland proposed the Maryland Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act. This proposed legislation would amend the Maryland Consumer Protection Act to establish a sweeping regulatory framework for AI-enabled toys sold in the state, covering any device that uses machine learning, conversational AI, behavioral modeling, or similar computational processes and is marketed to or primarily used by children. This proposed legislation adds to a growing trend of increasing efforts, at both the federal and state levels, to regulate the use of AI in products and services used by children.
Continue Reading Maryland’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act: State-Level Regulation Fills the Federal Void on AI in Children’s Products
Day one of the ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in Orlando, Florida made one thing crystal-clear: compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. From the call for open safety collaboration and human-centered design to urgent warnings about siloed post-market surveillance and the double-edged promise of AI, the message resonated throughout the room: product safety is a business imperative, a trust builder, and, increasingly, a competitive differentiator. Here is a closer look at the two themes that defined the conversation on day one.
Continue Reading Day One at the ICPHSO Symposium: Compliance Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling
The Supreme Court has concluded that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize President Trump to impose tariffs. Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.
President Trump has nominated Karen Sessions to serve a seven-year term as Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), marking the latest step in reconstituting the agency following unprecedented leadership turnover. On February 11, 2026, the White House announced Sessions’ nomination to replace former Commissioner Mary T. Boyle. If confirmed by the Senate, Sessions will serve a full seven-year term on the Commission, which is responsible for product safety oversight and regulation.
Continue Reading White House Nominates Karen Sessions as Commissioner for the Consumer Product Safety Commission
This past week, Senators Amy Klobuchar, Maria Cantwell and Edward Markey penned a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with “concerns regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into children’s toys.” The letter requests the CPSC respond by January 31, 2026 explaining how it will ensure children are protected from certain harms posed by AI.
Continue Reading Playtime with AI? Senators Urge CPSC to Act
On December 12, 2025, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) published a direct final rule updating the mandatory safety standard for bassinets and cradles to align with ASTM F2194-25, the latest version of the voluntary consumer safety specification.[1] The rule describes responsibilities for manufacturers, including importers, and incorporates the new ASTM standard by reference. While the rule does not expressly state responsibilities for retailers, under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, retailers may not knowingly sell products that violate the applicable safety standards,[2] nor can such products be lawfully imported into the US.[3]
Continue Reading CPSC Finalizes 2025 Bassinets and Cradles Safety Standard