[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 186 (Thursday, December 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6942-S6943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 855--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONSUMER 
                       PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 855

       Whereas, on October 27, 1972, Congress passed, and 
     President Richard Milhous Nixon

[[Page S6943]]

     signed into law, the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 
     2051 et seq.), which established the Consumer Product Safety 
     Commission (referred to in this preamble as the 
     ``Commission'') to protect consumers from unsafe products;
       Whereas, for 50 years, the Commission has acted to fulfill 
     the purposes of the Consumer Product Safety Act, which 
     include--
       (1) protecting the public against unreasonable risks of 
     injury associated with consumer products, substantial product 
     hazards, imminently hazardous consumer products, and products 
     in violation of consumer product safety rules;
       (2) assisting consumers in evaluating the comparative 
     safety of consumer products;
       (3) developing uniform safety standards for consumer 
     products and minimizing conflicting State and local 
     regulations; and
       (4) promoting research and investigation into the causes 
     and prevention of product-related deaths, illnesses, and 
     injuries;
       Whereas, in addition to the responsibilities of the 
     Commission under the Consumer Product Safety Act, the 
     Commission enforces numerous other statutes, including--
       (1) the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (15 U.S.C. 1261 et 
     seq.);
       (2) the Flammable Fabrics Act (15 U.S.C. 1191 et seq.);
       (3) the Refrigerator Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 1211-1214);
       (4) the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 (15 U.S.C. 
     1471 et seq.); and
       (5) the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (15 
     U.S.C. 8001 et seq.);
       Whereas millions of serious and fatal injuries have been 
     prevented, saving the lives of consumers, thanks to the work 
     of the Commission--
       (1) developing safety standards;
       (2) working with voluntary standards organizations to bring 
     industry groups, manufacturers, and consumer groups together 
     to establish voluntary standards;
       (3) removing unreasonably dangerous products from the 
     marketplace; and
       (4) holding companies accountable when they fail to meet 
     consumer product protection standards and laws;
       Whereas the many successes of the Commission in protecting 
     consumers of the United States include--
       (1) with respect to refrigerators, that--
       (A) 96 children died due to being trapped and suffocating 
     in refrigerators between 1973 and 1984; and
       (B) only 2 children reportedly died under similar 
     circumstances in the 25 years preceding the date of adoption 
     of this resolution;
       (2) with respect to garage doors, that--
       (A) after the deaths of 46 children involving garage doors 
     during the period of 1982 to 1990, in 1992 the Commission 
     introduced a safety standard; and
       (B) there have been only 2 child deaths involving garage 
     doors in the decade preceding the date of adoption of this 
     resolution;
       (3) with respect to fires, that between 1980 and 2018 there 
     was a 43 percent decrease in residential fires, a 47 percent 
     decrease in fire deaths, and a 41 percent decrease in fire 
     injuries;
       (4) with respect to child poisonings, that between 1972 and 
     2020 there was an 80 percent decline in pediatric poisonings 
     for children under the age of 5;
       (5) with respect to bicycles, that--
       (A) the bicycle safety standards developed by the 
     Commission became effective in 1975; and
       (B) between 1973 and 2020, bicycle injuries in the United 
     States declined 35 percent; and
       (6) with respect to pools, that between 1975 and 2019, 
     injuries associated with in-ground swimming pools and 
     equipment declined 55 percent; and
       Whereas the Commission works to meet the ongoing challenges 
     of consumer product safety: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 
     Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2051 et seq.), which 
     created the Consumer Product Safety Commission (referred to 
     in this resolution as the ``Commission'');
       (2) expresses appreciation for the actions of the 
     Commission taken to protect the people of the United States 
     from dangerous consumer products;
       (3) acknowledges that while the Commission has made great 
     strides in consumer product safety, the risk of injury or 
     death from consumer products, both new and old, remains; and
       (4) commits to working with the Commission in furtherance 
     of making consumer products as safe as possible.

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