Against a backdrop of a holiday shopping season that was soured by a spate of product recalls, the House passed legislation Wednesday aimed at ensuring the safety of toys and other products.

The bill (HR 4040) passed by a 407-0 vote.

Lawmakers had hoped to move the bipartisan bill while the holiday shopping season was in full swing. Consumers have reacted with anger and confusion about the high number of toy recalls this year.

The broad consumer safety measure is the result of an eight-month bipartisan effort and five House hearings, said House Energy and Commerce Chairman John D. Dingell, D-Mich.

“But there will still be some carping about the bill,” he warned. “This is a case when you want to make sure the perfect good isn’t the enemy of the good.”

Some senior Democrats came to the floor to applaud the bill but said more must be done. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., who has criticized some legal provisions in the bill, called it a good “first step.”

Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette, a longtime consumer safety advocate, endorsed the bill but said she will call for work on food safety early next year.

The bill would overhaul the Consumer Product Safety Commission by increasing its funding and its legal authority.

It would boost the agency’s budget to $80 million in fiscal 2009, $90 million in fiscal 2010 and $100 million by fiscal 2011. The commission would also receive $20 million to modernize its testing laboratory.

In writing the omnibus fiscal 2008 spending bill (HR 2764), appropriators funded the agency at $80 million, up from $62 million this year.

The bill would set tougher lead standards for children’s products and would require third-party testing of toys by accredited labs.

It also would require manufacturers to apply tracking labels to all toys for children age 12 or younger to help find faulty products in the event of a recall.

The measure, as reported Dec. 18 by Energy and Commerce, also would give the agency the power to quickly halt the distribution of products that pose an imminent risk of severe injury or death.

The CPSC would not gain the power to stop unsafe imports at the border, but it would be required to conduct a study on whether that would be feasible.

“This legislation represents a quantum leap forward in strengthening the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s watchdog role on behalf of American consumers,” said Bobby L. Rush, D-Ill.

The House also passed by voice vote a bill (HR 1216) that would require additional child safety features on new cars.

The legislation would require new cars to have power windows that automatically reverse when they hit an obstruction. Cars with automatic transmissions also would be required to have anti-rollaway systems.