[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.
____________________