NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Approves Child Product Safety Legislation

Bills Propose Tougher Laws on Pool Safety, Gas Cans, Baby Products; Increase Fines for Violations

Washington, D.C. – The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection held a markup this morning on a package of bills designed to improve children’s safety. The subcommittee, led by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), approved all four proposed bills by voice vote. Managers’ amendments were adopted for each bill by voice vote, as was an amendment offered by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-FL) to address dangers of ornamental pools.

“As proud as I am about the progress we’ve made today on behalf of the American people, I still grieve the tragic loss of life of the family of seven-year-old Virginia Graeme Baker who, like young Danny Keysar, lost their lives to product neglect,” said Rush. “I also join my colleague, Dr. Michael Burgess, in mourning the loss of life of a family of four, originally from my district, who lost their lives due to the hazards of an ornamental pool. My goal as chairman of this subcommittee is to ensure that tragedies of this kind never happen again.”

“As legislators, our first responsibility is to protect our children,” said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “These bills aim to improve products that can cause highly unfortunate - and usually highly preventable - accidents. I appreciate the bipartisan spirit in which the legislation was created and approved.”

The following bills were approved during the markup:

• H.R. 814, the “Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act”, to require childproof caps on all gasoline cans;
  
• H.R. 1699, the “Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act”, to require that durable products for babies and children include registration materials for quick notification of parents in the event of a product recall;
  
• H.R. 1721, the “Pool and Spa Safety Act”, to increase the safety of pools and spas by requiring the use of proper anti-entrapment drain covers and increasing consumer education; and
  
• H.R. 2474, “To provide for an increased maximum civil penalty for violations under the Consumer Product Safety Act”, to raise the maximum penalty for product safety violations from the current cap of $1.25 million to $10 million.

The legislation will now be referred to the full committee for markup. Please visit http://energycommerce.house.gov for more information.

- 30 -