Commissioner Anne Northup, a former U.S. congresswoman from Kentucky, has left the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Although her appointment officially ended in October 2011, commissioners may serve another year to allow time for a new commissioner to be appointed. That one-year extension has ended.
The departure of Northup, a Republican, ends a 2-2 Democrat/Republican split that has deadlocked the CPSC on a number of issues. Democrats now have a 2-1 voting majority and the two vacant seats are unlikely to be filled until 2013, according to the International Sleep Products Association.
