I looked at the legislation and it indeed seems that the authors didn’t think about it quite long enough. A few simple amendments would seem to alleviate a lot of the legislation’s burden on small businesses — especially those that simply don’t deal with lead — without dulling the bill’s point and undercutting its purpose.

What is the scope of the opposition to the bill? My sense is that, if the opposition is widespread and strong enough, some sort of unified call for amendment(s) would carry a lot more weight than isolated individuals contacting a legislator here and there.

You would have a much better idea than I do about the buzz in the industry concerning the bill. The question in my mind is simply how to make the industry’s message loud and clear, and how to direct it to the right people. I don’t think the child clothing manufacturing industry or the toy-making industry have influential lobbies, but are there enough people with a vested interest in getting the legislation properly altered? If so, perhaps an organized effort to garner support and propose appropriate amendments could make the difference.