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Gall Withdraws as Nominee
To Chair CPSC

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2001 -- Mary Sheila Gall has asked President Bush to withdraw her nomination to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). She's expected to serve out her term, which runs through 2005, as one of three members of the commission.

Gall, a Republican, was rejected on a party-line vote by the Senate Commerce Committee last month after critics said she too often favored business interests over consumer safety. She had been quoted in the past as saying the agency was in danger of becoming a "federal nanny."

The CPSC regulates more than 15,000 products, enforcing safety standards and product bans. It has the authority to order recalls of defective products. Under outgoing Chair Ann Brown, a Democrat, the commission has emphasized infant and child safety, leading Gall to complain that it sometimes overlooked parents' responsibility for their children's safety.

Brown, whose term runs through 2006, has said that she will retire by Nov. 1, creating a vacancy that the Bush Administration can fill with a new nominee.

The only other commission member is the vice chair, Thomas Moore. Although he is a Democrat, Moore supported Gall's nomination to head the commission. He could become acting chair if no one is nominated and confirmed by the time Brown leaves office.

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