[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3031-H3032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        SETTING CONSUMER STANDARDS FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES ACT

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1797) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
promulgate a consumer product safety standard with respect to 
rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility devices, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1797

       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 ``Setting Consumer Standards 
     for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY STANDARD FOR CERTAIN 
                   BATTERIES.

       (a) Consumer Product Safety Standard Required.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety 
     Commission shall promulgate, under section 553 of title 5, 
     United States Code, a final consumer product safety standard 
     for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility 
     devices, including electric bicycles and electric scooters, 
     to protect against the risk of fires caused by such 
     batteries.
       (2) Inclusion of related equipment.--The standard 
     promulgated under paragraph (1) shall include requirements 
     with respect to equipment related to or used with 
     rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility 
     devices, including battery chargers, charging cables, 
     external terminals on battery packs, external terminals on 
     micromobility devices, and free-standing stations used for 
     recharging.
       (b) CPSC Determination of Scope.--In promulgating the 
     standard under subsection (a), the Commission shall determine 
     the types of products subject to the standard and shall 
     ensure that such products are--
       (1) within the jurisdiction of the Commission; and
       (2) reasonably necessary to include to protect against the 
     risk of fires.
       (c) Modifications.--At any time after the promulgation of 
     the standard under subsection (a), the Commission may, 
     through a rulemaking under section 553 of title 5, United 
     States Code, modify the requirements of the standard.
       (d) Treatment of Standard.--A standard promulgated under 
     this section, including a modification of such standard, 
     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 gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1797, the Setting Consumer 
Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act.
  It is important that the House pass this legislation because when 
lithium-ion batteries are poorly made--usually ones that come from 
China, I might add--lack adequate safety standards, are charged 
improperly, or are damaged, they are prone to ignite a fire.
  The associated fires may be accompanied by explosions and the release 
of toxic gas, causing significant injuries to consumers. We cannot let 
that happen.
  As these micromobility devices have risen in popularity, the use of 
lithium-ion batteries has increased, as has the use of counterfeit or 
unsafe batteries coming from China, creating the need for a Federal 
safety standard.
  H.R. 1797 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
issue a consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion 
batteries used in micromobility devices to protect against the risk of 
fires.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Garbarino and Torres, and others 
from New York such as Representative Clarke, and all other Members, for 
leading this important bipartisan effort to protect citizens and first 
responders.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this necessary piece of 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1797, the Setting 
Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act.
  This bill will protect Americans from fires from lithium-ion 
batteries. It requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create 
a safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in 
micromobility devices, like electric bicycles and scooters.
  Fires caused by faulty or misused batteries are increasing throughout 
our Nation. As just one example, between 2019 and 2023, the Fire 
Department of the City of New York reported more than 400 fires, 300 
injuries, and 12 deaths from fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in 
New York City alone.
  Just a few weeks ago, two people and a cat had to be rescued from a 
Bridgewater, New Jersey, apartment, not far from my district, because 
of a fire caused by an electric bicycle battery. After all of these 
accidents, right now, there is no Federal standard to ensure the 
products on the market are safe.
  As electric bikes and scooters grow in popularity, we must act to 
guarantee a strong Federal safety standard for lithium-ion batteries. 
Consumers deserve to feel confident that the products that they see for 
sale are thoroughly tested and safe, and this legislation would do just 
that.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the 
main sponsor of this bill, for his leadership on this issue. I also 
thank the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke) for championing this 
bill in our committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the sponsor of this bill.
  Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my 
bipartisan legislation titled Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-
Ion Batteries Act.
  I am grateful for the support of Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member 
Pallone, and all the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am 
also grateful for the partnership of Congress Members Yvette Clarke and 
 Andrew Garbarino.
  At the core of our legislative progress has been the indefatigable 
advocacy of the FDNY, the Nation's premier fire department.
  The sheer speed and scale of the destruction that a lithium-ion 
battery fire can bring to communities like mine is nothing short of 
staggering. In the Bronx, we saw one of our few neighborhood 
supermarkets, 2096 Grand Concourse, reduced to complete rubble at the 
hands of a five-alarm fire caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion 
battery.
  Lithium-ion battery fires are happening with greater frequency and 
ferocity in America. Indeed, New York City, in particular, has emerged 
as the epicenter of lithium-ion battery fires, which have grown 
exponentially, from more than 30 in 2019 to more than 40 in 2020, to 
more than 100 in 2021, to more than 200 in 2022. In the span of just 4 
years, America's largest city has seen a 900 percent surge in lithium-
ion batteries, creating an unprecedented crisis in fire safety.
  Poorly manufactured lithium-ion batteries, largely imported from 
China, are hidden ticking time bombs waiting to detonate in American 
homes and communities. The fire hazard here has become too glaring to 
ignore.

[[Page H3032]]

  The House of Representatives is poised to pass bipartisan legislation 
that would finally empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
set long-overdue mandatory safety standards for the manufacturing of 
lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices. In passing legislation so 
urgently needed, we are upholding our most solemn obligation: public 
safety.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct, the sponsor of 
the bill. We are upholding this very important need. We are moving 
forward because we have a chairman and a ranking member that worked 
very hard to address these issues and move them forward. Let's get this 
done as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't think I can stress enough the importance of this 
bill as Mr. Torres has related. These fires and these problems are 
getting worse all the time, so we have to set a standard.
  I urge my colleagues on a bipartisan, unanimous basis to support this 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on 
this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1797, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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