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Mother’s Day is fast approaching and I’ve been seeing more and more ads in my Facebook feed for Mother’s Day gifts. I’m not interested in a new necklace or a massage (OK a massage does sound nice…). The best gift I could possibly receive is the knowledge that the products I buy in the store for my family are safe and toxic-free.

There’s a lot going on nationally around the issue of toxic chemicals in consumer products and right here in my home state we have an opportunity to really take a stand in support of creating a better Connecticut for our children. There’s a bill waiting for action in the CT Legislature that would direct the Department of Public Health to begin a process of determining which chemicals are of greatest concern to children. The Department would then report back to the Legislature with their findings and elected officials could use that information to determine policy solutions.

But time is running out – legislative session ends on May 7th and the bill has stalled because of aggressive lobbying by the chemical and toy industries. Apparently they care more about the bottom line than they do my child’s health and development.

I’d love for Connecticut to give me, and my fellow CT moms, an early Mother’s Day gift by standing up to the industries fighting against protecting our kids from toxic chemicals. Consumers want action. Parents want to keep their children safe from harm. We all want the next generation to grow up in a society with less cancer, less reproductive harm and fewer developmental disorders.

To get there it takes political will and a groundswell of support from voters. We have both, so Connecticut, let’s get this done.