[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7720-H7723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        STOP TIP-OVERS OF UNSTABLE, RISKY DRESSERS ON YOUTH ACT

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2211) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
promulgate a consumer product safety rule for free-standing clothing 
storage units to protect children from tip-over related death or 
injury, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2211

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, 
     Risky Dressers on Youth Act'' or the ``STURDY Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY STANDARD TO PROTECT AGAINST 
                   TIP-OVER OF CLOTHING STORAGE UNITS.

       (a) Clothing Storage Unit Defined.--In this section, the 
     term ``clothing storage unit'' means any free-standing 
     furniture item manufactured in the United States or imported 
     for use in the United States that is intended for the storage 
     of clothing, typical of bedroom furniture.
       (b) Consumer Product Safety Standard Required.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (c)(1), 
     not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall--
       (A) in consultation with representatives of consumer 
     groups, clothing storage unit manufacturers, craft or 
     handmade furniture manufacturers, and independent child 
     product engineers and experts, examine and assess the 
     effectiveness of any voluntary consumer product safety 
     standards for clothing storage units; and
       (B) in accordance with section 553 of title 5, United 
     States Code, promulgate a final consumer product safety 
     standard for clothing storage units to protect children from 
     tip-over-related death or injury that includes--
       (i) tests that simulate the weight of children up to 60 
     pounds;
       (ii) objective, repeatable, and measurable tests that 
     simulate real world use and account for any impact on 
     clothing storage unit stability that may result from 
     placement on carpeted surfaces, drawers with items in them, 
     multiple open drawers, or dynamic force;
       (iii) testing of all clothing storage units, including 
     those under 30 inches in height; and
       (iv) warning requirements based on ASTM F2057-17, or its 
     successor at the time of enactment, provided that the 
     Consumer Product Safety Commission shall strengthen the 
     requirements of ASTM F2057-17, or its successor, if 
     reasonably necessary to protect children from tip-over-
     related death or injury.
       (2) Treatment of standard.--A consumer product safety 
     standard promulgated under paragraph (1) shall be treated as 
     a consumer product safety rule promulgated under section 9 of 
     the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058).
       (c) Subsequent Rulemaking.--
       (1) In general.--At any time subsequent to the publication 
     of a consumer product safety standard under subsection 
     (b)(1), the Commission may initiate a rulemaking, in 
     accordance with section 553 of title 5, United States Code to 
     modify the requirements of the consumer product safety 
     standard described in subsection (b)(1) if reasonably 
     necessary to protect children from tip-over-related death or 
     injury.
       (2) Revision of rule.--If, after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     revises its Clinical Growth Charts, the consumer product 
     safety standard described in subsection (b)(1) shall , on the 
     date that is 180 days after such revision, be revised to 
     include tests that simulate the weight of children up to the 
     95th percentile weight of children 72 months in age, as 
     depicted in the revised Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention Clinical Growth Charts, unless the Commission 
     determines the modification is not reasonably necessary to 
     protect children from tip-over-related death or injury.
       (3) Treatment of rules.--Any rule promulgated under 
     paragraph (1) or revision made pursuant to paragraph (2) 
     shall be treated as a consumer product safety rule 
     promulgated under section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 2058).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Long) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 2211.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a very proud and grateful person who has 
been a consumer advocate all of my life.
  Today, Congressman Long, you and I are going to be dealing with bills 
that may not always get the top headlines, but they save lives.
  When I say grateful, I am so grateful to our ranking member, 
Congresswoman Rodgers, and for all the bipartisan support that we have 
had on these bills. It means so much to me.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 2211, the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable 
Risky Dressers on Youth Act, which is known as the STURDY Act.
  I introduced this legislation with Representatives Jerry McNerney, 
Darren Soto, and   Bobby Rush. This legislation advanced out of the 
Energy and Commerce Committee on July 17, 2019, by voice vote, meaning 
unanimously, bipartisanly.
  According to data collected by the Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, a child is injured from a tip-over every 17 minutes. Every 
10 days, a child dies from one of these tip-overs. Particularly deadly 
are tip-overs of clothing storage units, such as dressers.
  Since 2000, these clothing units have killed more than 200 children 
in the United States. Victims tend to be under the age of 6. At this 
age, children are mobile and curious. They like to climb on furniture, 
play in the drawers, or stand in the drawers and reach for items on top 
of units. Tragedy can come in just minutes. Just after a child awakes 
from a nap or a night's sleep, they are likely to engage in this kind 
of activity.
  Tens of millions of dressers have been recalled in recent years. 
Unfortunately, children continue to die from furniture tip-overs. That 
is because the current industry furniture stability standard is simply 
too weak. It does not cover shorter clothing storage units that have 
also been known to kill children, and industry tests don't cover common 
hazard patterns. Moreover, the standard is only voluntary.
  That is why it is critical that we pass the STURDY Act, which would 
require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a strong 
and mandatory safety standard that is effective at preventing furniture 
tip-overs.
  I especially thank the families of victims, the people who have come 
with pictures of their children or their loved ones to talk about how 
important this bill is, how hard it is for them to talk about the 
terrible loss of life in their families. It is those people who have 
really told the story of how important it is for us to act today.
  I appreciate the willingness, as I said before, of our ranking member 
and all the Republicans to work with me to bring this bill to the 
floor. I call on all of my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I have personal knowledge of this type of 
situation. Just within the last 30 days, a friend of mine lost a 3-
year-old grandchild due to one of these situations. There can be 
nothing worse than losing a child. To have a vibrant 3-year-old child 
one minute and a deceased 3-year-old the next is not acceptable.
  This bill directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a 
consumer product safety standard for clothing storage units, to prevent 
them from tipping over onto children.
  In the spirit of bipartisanship, we support this bill moving forward 
with the House passage today.
  I thank my friend Ms. Schakowsky for her efforts in this endeavor. I 
urge

[[Page H7721]]

my colleagues to support H.R. 2211, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McNerney).
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding, and I 
thank her for her work on this bill. I thank my friend Billy Long for 
his support and encouragement on this.
  I do rise today in support of H.R. 2211, the STURDY Act. When 
consumers purchase a piece of furniture, they trust that the product is 
safe. But out of 42 common household dressers recently subjected to 
rigorous testing by Consumer Reports, only 20 met the robust stability 
standards. The reason why is that current voluntary standards are 
woefully inadequate.
  The voluntary standards apply only to dressers 30 inches or taller, 
despite multiple fatalities and injuries involving shorter dressers. 
Industry standards only require the dresser to remain upright when a 
50-pound weight is hung from the top drawer, even though 60 pounds is 
more accurately the weight of a 6-year-old. The result: over 200 
reported deaths from furniture tip-overs since 2000. That is 200 
deaths. Most victims are under the age of 6.
  Mr. Speaker, the most profound responsibility we have as adults is to 
protect our children. In 2016, a 2-year-old from my home State of 
California died when a dresser tipped over onto him.
  We know the problem: lax industry standards that really only protect 
the manufacturers and not their customers.
  We have a solution: the STURDY Act, which establishes robust 
standards to stop this tip-over epidemic. The STURDY Act will modernize 
standards to apply to dressers under 30 inches; accurately simulate the 
weight of a 6-year-old; and account for real-world dynamics, such as 
the movement of drawers and different flooring surfaces.

  By setting mandatory standards, the STURDY Act will better enable the 
CPSC to enforce requirements and facilitate recalls. The legislation 
will expedite the CPSC's rulemaking process, ensuring these lifesaving 
protections are in our homes as soon as possible.
  That is the robust action we need to end this tip-over epidemic.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the STURDY Act, and I urge 
my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, first, let me extend my condolences to 
the friend of Mr. Long's family.
  This is really poignant, that Mr. Long is carrying this bill today on 
the floor of the House of Representatives. Hopefully, none of us see 
such an accident again.
  Mr. Speaker, I include three letters for the Record: a letter from 20 
national organizations and more than 50 State and local organizations 
that represent pediatricians and consumers throughout the United 
States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumer 
Federation of America, Consumer Reports, and Kids In Danger, among many 
others, urging strong support of the STURDY Act; a letter from Parents 
Against Tip-Overs, parents of actual children who have died, also 
urging strong support by Members of the STURDY Act; and a letter from 
Consumer Reports, also urging strong support by our colleagues for the 
STURDY Act.

                                               September 11, 2019.
       Dear Representative: As organizations dedicated to 
     children's health and safety, we write to express our strong 
     support for three bills as they move to the House floor. 
     These bills would improve protections against preventable 
     sleep-related deaths, as well as injuries and deaths from 
     preventable furniture tip-overs. We urge you to support these 
     bills to protect children from injuries and deaths.
       The Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) would ban 
     infant inclined sleep products, such as the recently recalled 
     Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play Sleeper, which have been linked to 
     the deaths of at least 50 infants. While there have been four 
     recent recalls related to this product type, similar unsafe 
     products of this type remain on the market. These products 
     are deadly, and their design is inherently unsafe and 
     incompatible with expert safe sleep recommendations, 
     including from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This 
     legislation would help prevent more families from 
     experiencing the tragedy of losing a child by banning the 
     products' manufacture, import, and sale.
       The Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) would ban crib 
     bumper pads. Bumper pads have led to dozens of infant 
     suffocation deaths and do not offer protection to babies. 
     These products are also inconsistent with expert safe sleep 
     recommendations. Maryland, Ohio, New York State, Chicago, 
     Illinois, and Watchung, New Jersey have taken action to 
     protect babies. If H.R. 3170 becomes law, all babies in the 
     Unites States would be similarly protected. This legislation 
     would help prevent more families from experiencing the 
     tragedy of losing a child to crib bumper pads by banning 
     their manufacture, import, and sale altogether.
       The STURDY Act (H.R. 2211) would direct the U.S. Consumer 
     Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to create a mandatory 
     clothing storage unit standard to help prevent furniture tip-
     overs. According to the CPSC, one child dies every ten days 
     from a tip-over. Stronger product testing and safety 
     requirements could prevent these fatalities. This bill is 
     critically important because it would establish a strong 
     mandatory standard for furniture stability. The STURDY Act 
     would require the CPSC to create a mandatory rule that would: 
     cover all clothing storage units, including those 30 inches 
     in height or shorter; require testing to simulate the weights 
     of children up to 72 months old; require testing measures to 
     account for scenarios involving carpeting, loaded drawers, 
     multiple open drawers, and the dynamic force of a climbing 
     child; mandate strong warning requirements; and require the 
     CPSC to issue the mandatory standard within one year of 
     enactment. To protect children from furniture tip-overs, we 
     need a strong mandatory standard and the STURDY Act includes 
     those critically needed provisions.
       These bills offer a vital opportunity to protect children 
     from preventable injuries and deaths. We urge you to support 
     these child health and safety bills, and to vote ``yes'' on 
     them as they move to the House floor.
           Sincerely,
       National Organizations:
       American Academy of Pediatrics; Association of Maternal & 
     Child Health Programs; Center for Justice & Democracy; Child 
     Care Aware of America; Child Injury Prevention Alliance; 
     Children's Advocacy Institute; Consumer Federation of 
     America; Consumer Reports; Cribs for Kids, Inc.; First Focus 
     Campaign for Children; Keeping Babies Safe; Kids In Danger; 
     MomsRising; National Association of Pediatric Nurse 
     Practitioners; National Consumers League; Parents for Window 
     Blind Safety; Public Citizen; Safe Kids Worldwide; Safe 
     States Alliance; The Society for Advancement of Violence and 
     Injury Research (SAVIR).
       State and Local Organizations:
       Alaska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AkPIRG); American 
     Academy of Pediatrics--Arizona Chapter; American Academy of 
     Pediatrics--California Chapter 3; American Academy of 
     Pediatrics--Hawaii Chapter; American Academy of Pediatrics--
     Georgia Chapter; American Academy of Pediatrics--New York 
     Chapter 1; American Academy of Pediatrics--New York Chapter 
     2; American Academy of Pediatrics--New York Chapter 3; 
     American Academy of Pediatrics--Vermont Chapter; American 
     Academy of Pediatrics--Colorado Chapter; American Academy of 
     Pediatrics--Orange County Chapter; Ann & Robert H. Lurie 
     Children's Hospital of Chicago; Arkansas Chapter, American 
     Academy of Pediatrics.
       California Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Chicago Consumer Coalition; Children's Health Alliance of 
     Wisconsin; Consumer Assistance Council, Inc.; Consumer 
     Assistance Council, Inc.; DC Chapter of the American Academy 
     of Pediatrics; Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of 
     Pediatrics; Empire State Consumer Project; Florida Chapter--
     American Academy of Pediatrics; Idaho Chapter of the American 
     Academy of Pediatrics; Illinois Action for Children; Illinois 
     Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Indiana 
     Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Iowa Chapter 
     of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Island Pediatrics of 
     Honolulu.
       Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Maine Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics; Maryland 
     Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics; Massachusetts 
     Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Michigan 
     Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics; Minnesota Chapter of 
     the American Academy of Pediatrics; Missouri Chapter of the 
     American Academy of Pediatrics; Nevada Chapter of the 
     American Academy of Pediatrics; New Jersey Chapter, American 
     Academy of Pediatrics; New Mexico Pediatric Society; North 
     Carolina Pediatric Society.
       Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics; OHSU/
     Doembecher Tom Sargent Safety Center; Oklahoma Chapter of the 
     American Academy of Pediatrics; Ounce of Prevention Fund; 
     Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     South Dakota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois, Inc.; Tennessee 
     Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Virginia 
     Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics; Virginia Citizens 
     Consumer Council; Virginia Citizens Consumer Council; 
     Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; 
     Wyckoff Hospital; Wyoming Chapter of the American Academy of 
     Pediatrics.
                                  ____



                                    Parents Against Tip-Overs,

                                               September 16, 2019.
       Dear Representative: As a parent group directly impacted by 
     the dangers of unstable furniture, Parents Against Tip-overs 
     is writing to express our strong support for H.R. 2211, the 
     STURDY Act, as it moves to the House floor. This bill is 
     desperately needed,

[[Page H7722]]

     as it would reduce injuries and deaths from preventable 
     furniture tip-overs. Furniture tip-over is not a partisan 
     issue, but one of safety, and we urge you to support this 
     bill to protect your most vulnerable constituents, the 
     children.
       One of our founding members, Crystal Ellis, had the 
     opportunity to testify in front of the Consumer Protection 
     Subcommittee about the STURDY Act, on what would have been 
     her son, Camden's 7th birthday. He was tragically killed in a 
     furniture tip-over incident that happened just two days 
     before his second birthday. All of our children deserve to be 
     here and would have been here, had a strong mandatory 
     standard, that takes into account real world use, would have 
     been put into place sooner. The industry has been working on 
     a standard for almost two decades with no significant change 
     in the data. Furniture manufacturers insist that they need 
     more data. Their data, as Crystal explained in her testimony, 
     is our dead and injured children. We do not need more data. 
     If after 19 years there is not an adequate voluntary standard 
     in place, it's unlikely there will ever be an effective 
     furniture safety standard that will reduce injuries and 
     deaths to children without the STURDY Act becoming law. The 
     industry clearly won't make this happen without direction 
     from Congress. We need your help. If this law existed 14 
     years ago, all of the PAT children would still be alive 
     today. The STURDY Act will save lives and the time to put it 
     in place is now.
       The STURDY Act (H.R. 2211) would direct the U.S. Consumer 
     Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to create a mandatory 
     clothing storage unit standard to help prevent furniture tip-
     overs. According to the CPSC, one child dies every ten days 
     from a tip-over. Stronger product testing and safety 
     requirements could prevent these fatalities. This bill is 
     critically important because it would establish a strong 
     mandatory standard for furniture stability. The STURDY Act 
     would require the CPSC to create a mandatory rule that would: 
     cover all clothing storage units, including those 30 inches 
     in height or shorter; require testing to simulate the weights 
     of children up to 72 months old; require testing measures to 
     account for scenarios involving carpeting, loaded drawers, 
     multiple open drawers, and the dynamic force of a climbing 
     child; mandate strong warning requirements; and require the 
     CPSC to issue the mandatory standard within one year of 
     enactment. To protect children from furniture tip-overs, we 
     need a strong mandatory standard and the STURDY Act includes 
     those critically needed provisions.
       This bill offers you, as the voice of parents and children 
     in the House of Representatives, a vital opportunity to 
     protect children from preventable injuries and deaths from 
     furniture tip-overs. We respectfully urge you to support the 
     STURDY Act and to vote ``yes'' on it as it moves to the House 
     floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Crystal Ellis,
     Parents Against Tip-overs Founding Member.
                                  ____



                                             Consumer Reports,

                                               September 17, 2019.
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative: Consumer Reports, the independent, 
     non-profit member organization, urges you to vote yes on H.R. 
     2211, H.R. 1618, and H.R. 806, three bills that would help 
     protect consumers from product safety hazards in their homes. 
     CR testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee 
     in support of these bills in June, and urges their passage 
     today for the reasons below.


                       h.r. 2211, the STURDY act

       Consumer Reports strongly supports H.R. 2211, the ``Stop 
     Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act,'' or the 
     STURDY Act, and urges its swift passage. The bill would 
     require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to 
     establish a strong mandatory safety standard to improve the 
     stability of dressers and similar clothing storage furniture 
     and help prevent deaths and injuries resulting from when they 
     tip over onto children. Long a hidden hazard in the home, 
     tip-overs send thousands of people to the emergency room 
     annually. Dressers and other clothing storage units are 
     particularly lethal, accounting for at least 206 reported 
     deaths since the year 2000, with most of the victims being 
     children younger than age 6.
       CR has found that the most effective and most widely touted 
     tip-over prevention strategy available today--anchoring a 
     dresser to the wall using brackets and straps--is not an easy 
     fix for the majority of consumers. Our nationally 
     representative survey last year of 1,502 U.S. adults found 
     that only 27% of Americans had anchored furniture in their 
     homes, and among Americans with kids under age 6 at home, 40% 
     anchored their furniture. Fundamentally, because a child's 
     life should not rely on consumer skill at anchoring a dresser 
     to a wall, CR has called on the furniture industry to 
     consistently produce dressers and other clothing storage 
     units that are designed to be more stable and that better 
     resist tipping over onto children.
       Over the past two years, CR has conducted extensive 
     research, analysis of incident and injury data, and 
     comparative testing of a cross-section of dressers in the 
     marketplace. Based on our investigation, we found that the 
     industry's voluntary standard leaves too many children at 
     risk. Our results demonstrated that it is feasible for 
     dressers at all price points to pass a more rigorous test. CR 
     bought 42 dressers for evaluation, and put them through a 
     series of three progressively tougher stability tests. While 
     13 dressers failed all but the first of the tests, 20 
     dressers passed all the testing, underscoring that 
     manufacturers are capable of successfully designing more 
     stable dressers. The failures reinforce why a stronger 
     standard is necessary to protect consumers. The 20 dressers 
     that passed all our tests cost various amounts, and were 
     representative of all price points in the market.
       In light of the unreasonable risk of death or injury to 
     children and the findings of our investigation, CR and others 
     have been advocating for the CPSC to develop and implement a 
     strong mandatory safety standard with performance 
     requirements for the stability of dressers and other clothing 
     storage units. While both Republican and Democratic CPSC 
     commissioners have expressed support for measures to 
     strengthen the current safety framework around furniture tip-
     overs, the agency has so far failed to act, and commissioners 
     have recognized that CPSC rulemaking under its Consumer 
     Product Safety Act Section 7 and 9 authority is likely to 
     take several years, if not a full decade, to complete. To 
     account for the weight of children under age 6 and the 
     feasibility demonstrated by CR's test results, CR has said 
     the standard should, at a minimum, include a loaded stability 
     test of 60 pounds. We also have said that it is critical for 
     the standard to be mandatory, not voluntary, for several 
     reasons, including because:
       Under the current system of safety oversight, consumers 
     essentially must place their trust in manufacturers that they 
     will produce a reasonably stable dresser;
       Wall anchors and other tip-over restraint devices, while 
     important, are no substitute for adequate stability 
     performance testing;
       A mandatory standard is justified under the Consumer 
     Product Safety Act--with the CPSC able to find that such a 
     rule is reasonably necessary and in the public interest;
       CR's testing shows that manufacturers are capable of 
     incorporating appropriate design changes to their products 
     that yield adequate stability, and of offering units for sale 
     to consumers that are affordable and do not sacrifice 
     utility; and
       Such a standard would allow the CPSC to enforce 
     requirements, including performance standards, and more 
     readily gain industry cooperation for recalls; historically, 
     companies have not carried out tip-over-related dresser 
     recalls unless they face overwhelming CPSC and public 
     pressure, or their product is linked to a death or failed 
     CPSC stability test.
       Enactment of the STURDY Act would help ensure the fastest 
     possible implementation of a strong stability standard, and 
     the reduced delay could save children's lives. In addition to 
     CR, the bill has the support of Parents Against Tip-Overs and 
     a broad coalition of 75 pediatrician, safety, and consumer 
     groups. A bipartisan majority of CPSC commissioners also has 
     expressed support for the STURDY Act and enactment of a 
     legislative solution that would permit the CPSC to take 
     faster action to help prevent tip-overs than the promulgation 
     of a rule under its traditional rulemaking authority and 
     procedures.
       The hazard to children of furniture tip-overs has been 
     insufficiently addressed by both the furniture industry and 
     the CPSC for years. Congress, today, has the chance to 
     finally force a more protective stability standard to take 
     effect. We urge members to seize this opportunity for 
     leadership on behalf of child safety and pass H.R. 2211, the 
     STURDY Act, without delay.


  h.r. 1618, the nicholas and zachary burt carbon monoxide poisoning 
                             prevention act

       Consumer Reports supports H.R. 1618, the Nicholas and 
     Zachary Burt Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 
     2019. According to the CDC, during 2010-2015, a total of 
     2,244 deaths resulted from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) 
     poisoning, with 393 of those deaths occurring in 2015. CR 
     often stresses the importance of installing and maintaining 
     CO detectors, and offers a buying guide and ratings to give 
     consumers comparative information about different products 
     that CR has tested. To help keep consumers safe, CR also has 
     published stories about how to ensure that smoke and carbon 
     monoxide detectors function properly.
       H.R. 1618 would establish a grant program for CO poisoning 
     prevention, administered by the CPSC. The grants would help 
     push states to require that up-to-date carbon monoxide 
     detectors be installed in all dwelling units and numerous 
     other facilities with the capacity to hold a large number of 
     people, and encourage states to develop a strategy to protect 
     vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, or low-
     income households. With hundreds of people dying each year 
     from carbon monoxide poisoning, it is appropriate to 
     establish a modest CPSC-administered grant program to promote 
     the installation of CO detectors, especially for vulnerable 
     populations. This grant program can be an important part of a 
     broader, multi-pronged strategy to significantly reduce 
     injuries and deaths associated with carbon monoxide 
     poisoning, and Congress should pass the bill.


            h.r. 806, the portable fuel container safety act

       Consumer Reports supports H.R. 806, the Portable Fuel 
     Container Safety Act of 2019. According to National Fire 
     Protection Association estimates, fire departments responded 
     to an average of 160,910 fires per year in the 2007-2011 
     period that started with ignition of a flammable or 
     combustible liquid, resulting in an estimated 454 civilian

[[Page H7723]]

     deaths, 3,910 civilian injuries, and $1.5 billion in direct 
     property damage per year. Manufacturers and safety experts 
     have identified a portion of the death and injury toll to 
     address through product design: incidents involving flame 
     jetting from portable fuel containers intended for reuse by 
     consumers.
       Despite the fact that people should never pour fuel such as 
     gasoline, kerosene, or diesel over a flame or use such fuel 
     for fire-starting purposes, people do--creating a foreseeable 
     scenario that this Act would help address. The Portable Fuel 
     Container Safety Act would require flame mitigation devices, 
     or flame arrestors, to prevent flame from entering these 
     containers and igniting the gases inside. This requirement is 
     consistent with a new voluntary standard recently finalized 
     by ASTM International that the CPSC could decide to treat as 
     a mandatory standard under the bill if the agency determines 
     that it meets the bill's minimum conditions.
       The new ASTM standard represents a step forward for safety, 
     and all portable fuel containers intended for reuse by 
     consumers should conform to its provisions. Congress should 
     pass H.R. 806 to ensure this standard or a similar standard 
     becomes mandatory. Consumers should have assurance that any 
     new portable fuel container they may buy--which they or 
     someone else may use or misuse--will contain an effective 
     flame mitigation device, and that the CPSC can readily take 
     action if a manufacturer fails to follow the law.


                               conclusion

       Consumer Reports thanks all members of the House of 
     Representatives for their consideration of these important 
     bills to improve safety around the home for millions of 
     people nationwide. We urge you to vote yes on H.R. 2211, H.R. 
     1618, and H.R. 806, and look forward to working together in 
     the future to ensure a safe marketplace for all consumers.
           Sincerely,
                                                  William Wallace,
                                  Manager, Home and Safety Policy.

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I encourage our colleagues to vote for H.R. 
2211. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support 
H.R. 2211. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2211, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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