Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2647, the Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act, or SOFFA.

SOFFA adopts a national Federal standard for upholstered furniture. SOFFA is important to ensure uniformity in the regulation of flammability standards for upholstered furniture to avoid a patchwork of State laws. This provides necessary certainty to the industry and also safety for consumers who know, no matter what their ZIP Code is, they will enjoy the same protections.

I am glad to see my friends across the aisle agree that the Federal Government must act to establish a national standard here. This debate is timely because we are having this very same discussion with respect to online privacy.

As my good friends know, the internet knows no boundaries. Upholstered furniture, like privacy, should enjoy a national standard to avoid a patchwork of State laws.

If it makes sense here, it must make sense with privacy. We do not want States regulating the internet differently. Consumer protections should not depend on Zip Codes.

I am encouraged to see my colleagues agree today that, with upholstered furniture, a national framework makes sense. I urge them to apply the same to online privacy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith) for their bipartisan work on this bill, and the chair, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), for her work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support SOFFA, H.R. 2647, and pass this very important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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