[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1642-H1644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1500
YOUTH POISONING
PROTECTION ACT
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1442) a bill to ban the sale of products with a high
concentration of sodium nitrate to individuals, and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1442
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Youth Poisoning Protection
Act''.
SEC. 2. BANNING OF PRODUCTS CONTAINING A HIGH CONCENTRATION
OF SODIUM NITRITE.
(a) In General.--Any consumer product containing a high
concentration of sodium nitrite shall be considered to be a
banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer
Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057).
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to--
(1) prohibit any commercial or industrial purpose in which
high concentration sodium nitrite is not customarily produced
or distributed for sale to, or use or consumption by, or
enjoyment of, a consumer; and
(2) apply to high concentration sodium nitrite that meets
the definition of a drug, device, or cosmetic (as such terms
are defined in subsections (g), (h), and (i) of section 201
of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
321(g), (h), and (i))), or food (as defined in section 201(f)
of such Act (21 U.S.C. 321(f))), including poultry and
poultry products (as such terms are defined in subsections
(e) and (f) of section 4 of the Poultry
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Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(e)and (f))), meat and
meat food products (as such terms are defined in section 1(j)
of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601(j))), and
eggs and egg products (as such terms are defined in section 4
of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1033)).
(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
(1) Consumer product.--The term ``consumer product'' has
the meaning given that term under section 3(a)(5) of the
Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5)).
(2) High concentration of sodium nitrite.--The term ``high
concentration of sodium nitrite'' means a concentration of 10
or more percent by weight of sodium nitrite.
(d) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect 90 days
after the date of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Taylor). 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 insert extraneous material in the Record on this particular 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.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning
Protection Act, led by Representative Trahan.
Since 2017, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in
self-poisoning cases involving sodium nitrite, many of which stem from
easy online access to high-concentration products.
This bill aims to confront that threat by implementing a narrowly
focused prohibition on the sale of consumer products containing sodium
nitrite at concentrations above 10 percent.
I thank Representative Trahan for her strong bipartisan leadership on
this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in
favor of H.R. 1442, 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. 1442, the Youth
Poisoning Protection Act.
Sodium nitrite is a highly toxic substance. Ingesting even a small
amount is likely to be fatal. Unfortunately, online forums are
providing detailed instructions and real-time guidance on how to
acquire and use this substance to take their own lives. Sadly,
according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
this has led to a sharp increase in self-poisoning using sodium
nitrite.
By banning the sale of high-concentrate sodium nitrite to consumers,
H.R. 1442 will make it less accessible to people contemplating suicide.
Experts have made it clear that there is no good reason for consumers
to purchase sodium nitrite at such high concentrations.
I commend Representative Trahan for her leadership on this issue, and
I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan), the sponsor of the bill.
Mrs. TRAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, as well
as his leadership and that of Chair Bilirakis on this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Youth Poisoning Protection Act
alongside Representative Mike Carey because we are facing an urgent
and deeply troubling trend, the promotion of sodium nitrite, a toxic
chemical, as a method to die by suicide.
In 2022, The New York Times revealed the existence of online suicide
forums that don't just discuss suicide, they promote it. Anonymous
users on these platforms encourage vulnerable children and young adults
to end their lives, and they often suggest using this chemical to do
it.
Now, most Americans have never heard of sodium nitrite, but for
families who have lost loved ones, it is something they will never
forget. In lower concentrations, it is a chemical used safely to cure
meats and fish, but in higher concentrations it is deadly. For the few
who have survived attempts to end their lives using sodium nitrite,
they report agonizing pain as the chemical deprives their body of
oxygen.
After learning how easy it is to purchase high-concentration sodium
nitrite, my office worked with retailers to limit access to businesses
with a proven use for the chemical, but some sites still openly market
it as part of a so-called suicide kit to people in crisis.
There is no Federal law that allows us to stop this. That is where
this bipartisan legislation comes in. The Youth Poisoning Protection
Act would restrict sales of sodium nitrite above 10 percent
concentration to businesses with verified industrial or commercial use.
That threshold is based on expert recommendations for safe handling and
won't interfere with legitimate industries like food processing.
This bill is focused and reasonable. It targets bad actors who are
exploiting a loophole to profit off tragedy, and it does so without
burdening responsible businesses. That is why, last Congress, this bill
passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously before passing it
here on the floor with overwhelming support. Now we must finish the
job.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Youth Poisoning
Protection Act.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close after Mr. Pallone. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close. Mr. Speaker, as you can see, a lot of these consumer protection
bills that we are considering today are actually very important, as is
this. I urge bipartisan support and yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on
this particular bill. Again, I commend Representatives Trahan and
Carey. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CAREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that will
prevent deadly chemicals from falling into the hands of children, our
Youth Poisoning Protection Act.
It's a parent's worst nightmare: a nameless, faceless stranger over
the internet teaching your child how to take their own life, and your
child, in a moment of vulnerability, listening to them.
That's exactly what happened to Kristine Jonsson, a vibrant sixteen-
year-old from Hilliard, Ohio whose life was cut tragically short in
September 2020.
Kristine was open with her parents about her mental health struggles,
but it was behind closed doors on an internet forum that she learned
about sodium nitrite.
With the coaching of sinister strangers online, Kristine was able to
purchase sodium nitrite on Amazon and get it nondescriptly shipped to
her front door, all under her parents' noses.
Sodium nitrite is a chemical used in the preservation of meat and
fish, which in high concentrations is deadly if ingested.
In fact, one spoonful of the chemical is one hundred times more
lethal than other poisons. High concentrations of some chemicals can be
harmful if used improperly, which is why they are usually highly
regulated or banned for sale to consumers.
Thanks to online forums like the one Kristine saw, the number of
suicide deaths using sodium nitrite is rising. In recent years, the
share of sodium nitrite usage as a method of self-poisoning has grown
nine times over.
By passing this bill, we can save lives.
The Youth Poisoning Protection Act would prevent the commercial sale
of highly-concentrated sodium nitrite, so it can never fall into the
hands of a vulnerable young person.
With the support of my colleagues and friends across the aisle, we
are one step closer to preventing these senseless tragedies in our
communities.
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. 1442, 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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