Friday, January 09, 2009

The Unintended Consequences of Law (story idea)

The U.S. congress passed a bill requiring all clothing outlets to test their wares for lead content. It was passed hurriedly during the scares regarding lead in Chinese toys etc. It takes effect as of February 10, I volunteer at "The Kid's Kloset" where we collect and distribute clothing for families in need. I have to investigate more, but it appears that this law would effectively shut down used clothing outlets and small business that cannot afford to test their inventory.

I can interview the manager of the Kid's Kloset, call DeFazio's office (and Wyden/Merkel). I can also interview other used clothing outlets in Corvallis as well as some mom and pop shops. I will research what major manufacturers are doing as well.

2 comments:

Bethany Fegles Photography said...

I just heard about this earlier this week and have wondered myself what would happen to so many smaller second hand retailers. Or all the mom's selling their kid's clothing on Craigslist. Or all the parents that use garage sales to earn back a little bit of what they spent on all the kid toys/clothes. Are places like Goodwill and Value Village large enough that it won't hurt them?
I'll be interested in reading what you find out.

Ricks terrible blog said...

Sounds like another negative effect of a well intentioned but fearful world.