An act to enable the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect the public by ordering notice and repair, replacement or refund of certain toys or articles intended for use by children if such toys or articles contain a defect which creates a substantial risk of injury to children.
Public Law 98-491 · H.R. 5818 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 17, 1984 · Commerce
Sponsor: Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA-24)
Cosponsors (10): Rep. Edward Madigan, Rep. James Scheuer,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Toy Safety Act of 1984 - Amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to permit the Consumer Product Safety Commission, after it determines that any toy or other article intended for use by children that is not a banned hazardous substance creates a substantial risk of injury to children, to order the manufacturer or any distributor or dealer of the toy or article to take any one or more of the following actions: (1) to give public notice that the toy or article creates a risk of injury to children; (2) to mail such notice to each manufacturer, distributor, or dealer; or (3) to mail such notice to every person to whom the person giving notice knows such toy or article was delivered or sold.
Permits the Commission, after offering interested persons an opportunity for a hearing, to order the manufacturer, distributor, or dealer either to repair such toy so that it will not create a risk of injury, to replace it with a safe equivalent toy or article, or to refund the purchase price.
Declares that such an order may prohibit the person to whom it applies from manufacturing for sale, offering for sale, distributing in commerce, or importing into the customs territory of the United States (or any combination of such actions) the toy or article with respect to which the order was issued.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Oct 17, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-491.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 5, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 3, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Sep 28, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Aug 8, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Aug 6, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Jul 24, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jun 27, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jun 11, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.