Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3172) to prohibit the manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribution in commerce, or importation into the United States of any inclined sleeper for infants, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3172

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 ``Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. BANNING OF INCLINED SLEEPERS FOR INFANTS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, inclined sleepers for infants, regardless of the date of manufacture, shall be considered a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057).

(b) Inclined Sleeper for Infants Defined.--In this section, the term ``inclined sleeper for infants'' means a product with an inclined sleep surface greater than ten degrees that is intended, marketed, or designed to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant up to one year old. SEC. 3. BANNING OF CRIB BUMPERS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, crib bumpers, regardless of the date of manufacture, shall be considered a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057).

(b) Crib Bumper Defined.--In this section, the term ``crib bumper''--

(1) means any material that is intended to cover the sides of a crib to prevent injury to any crib occupant from impacts against the side of a crib or to prevent partial or complete access to any openings in the sides of a crib to prevent a crib occupant from getting any part of the body entrapped in any opening;

(2) includes a padded crib bumper, a supported and unsupported vinyl bumper guard, and vertical crib slat covers; and

(3) does not include a non-padded mesh crib liner.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3172, the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019. This legislation combines a bill that was introduced by Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Vice Chair Tony Cardenas, which bans inclined sleepers that have been associated with many infant deaths, with a bill that I introduced, the Safe Cribs Act, which bans crib bumpers that have led to suffocation deaths of infants. I introduced this legislation with my friends and colleagues from Illinois, Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Congressman Bobby Rush.

For years, pediatricians have provided very clear recommendations for keeping babies safe while they sleep. Babies should only sleep on a firm, flat surface, free of any extra soft bedding. Infant inclined sleepers and crib bumpers are two products that contradict these longstanding recommendations of physicians.

Infant inclined sleepers, like the Fisher-Price Rock `n Play, position babies for sleep on a dangerous incline. The inclined nature of these products goes directly against the guidance of pediatricians and medical experts.

In April of this year, the public learned just how deadly they are: At least 32 babies have died in the Fisher-Price Rock `n Play since they were first introduced 10 years ago, in 2009. According to the latest figures, at least 73 babies have died in similar products like the Rock `n Play.

With the ensuing outrage, the Consumer Product Safety Commission took some action, recalling over 5 million infant inclined sleepers. And thanks to pressure by Consumer Reports and Members of Congress, including Representative Cardenas and myself, some retailers, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Buy Buy Baby, have recently announced plans to stop selling these products.

However, too many new or used inclined sleepers remain for sale on shelves and online. This class of product needs to be banned, and many children would still be alive if they had never been sold.

Crib bumpers also remain widely used by parents and caretakers, despite safe sleep recommendations that ``bare is best'' and that any kind of soft bedding in a crib creates an unnecessary suffocation danger.

That is, and the reason that they are so available is, because crib bumpers are featured on displays in stores, on baby registry checklists, and bundled as part of infant bedding sets.

These products, parents and caregivers are told, prevent babies from bumping their heads or getting their arms or legs caught in the crib rails. But these products are unnecessary. Worse than unnecessary, they can be deadly. More than 100 babies have died because of crib bumpers since 1990.

Consumers trust that the products that they see on the store shelves are safe. They think that products wouldn't be sold if they were so dangerous.

We must take these dangerous products off the shelf now. No family should have to experience the heartache and the tragedy of losing a baby in an unsafe sleep product.

The Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 will save babies' lives.

I want to thank Congressman Cardenas for his leadership, and I call on all of my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of our subcommittee, the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee in the Energy and Commerce Committee, for really saving lives.

If we pass this legislation, we will stop hazards that are known to cause deaths of children in their beds by parents who have trusted that these products, because they are on the shelf, are safe.

These bumpers and these inclined sleepers are proven killers, so this legislation will make these nurseries, these places where we put our precious babies to bed, much safer.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from 20 national organizations and more than 50 State and local organizations representing pediatricians and consumers throughout the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Kids in Danger, among many others, urging strong support from Members for the Safe Sleep for Babies Act. September 11, 2019.

Dear Representative: As organizations dedicated to children's health and safety, we write to express our strong support for three bills as they move to the House floor. These bills would improve protections against preventable sleep-related deaths, as well as injuries and deaths from preventable furniture tip-overs. We urge you to support these bills to protect children from injuries and deaths.

The Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) would ban infant inclined sleep products, such as the recently recalled Fisher- Price Rock `n Play Sleeper, which have been linked to the deaths of at least 50 infants. While there have been four recent recalls related to this product type, similar unsafe products of this type remain on the market. These products are deadly, and their design is inherently unsafe and incompatible with expert safe sleep recommendations, including from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This legislation would help prevent more families from experiencing the tragedy of losing a child by banning the products' manufacture, import, and sale.

The Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) would ban crib bumper pads. Bumper pads have led to dozens of infant suffocation deaths and do not offer protection to babies. These products are also inconsistent with expert safe sleep recommendations. Maryland, Ohio, New York State, Chicago, Illinois, and Watchung, New Jersey have taken action to protect babies. If H.R. 3170 becomes law, all babies in the Unites States would be similarly protected. This legislation would help prevent more families from experiencing the tragedy of losing a child to crib bumper pads by banning their manufacture, import, and sale altogether.

The STURDY Act (H.R. 2211) would direct the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to create a mandatory clothing storage unit standard to help prevent furniture tip- overs. According to the CPSC, one child dies every ten days from a tip-over. Stronger product testing and safety requirements could prevent these fatalities. This bill is critically important because it would establish a strong mandatory standard for furniture stability. The STURDY Act would require the CPSC to create a mandatory rule that would: cover all clothing storage units, including those 30 inches in height or shorter; require testing to simulate the weights of children up to 72 months old; require testing measures to account for scenarios involving carpeting, loaded drawers, multiple open drawers, and the dynamic force of a climbing child; mandate strong warning requirements; and require the CPSC to issue the mandatory standard within one year of enactment. To protect children from furniture tip-overs, we need a strong mandatory standard and the STURDY Act includes those critically needed provisions.

These bills offer a vital opportunity to protect children from preventable injuries and deaths. We urge you to support these child health and safety bills, and to vote ``yes'' on them as they move to the House floor. Sincerely, National Organizations

American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Center for Justice & Democracy, Child Care Aware of America, Child Injury Prevention Alliance, Children's Advocacy Institute, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Cribs for Kids, Inc., First Focus Campaign for Children, Keeping Babies Safe, Kids In Danger, MomsRising, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Consumers League, Parents for Window Blind Safety, Public Citizen, Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe States Alliance, The Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). State and Local Organizations

Alaska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AkPIRG), American Academy of Pediatrics--Arizona Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics--California Chapter 3, American Academy of Pediatrics--Hawaii Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics Georgia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics New York Chapter 2, American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 3, American Academy of Pediatrics, Vermont Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Orange County Chapter, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Arkansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics, Chicago Consumer Coalition, Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin, Consumer Assistance Council, Inc., Consumer Assistance Council, Inc., DC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Empire State Consumer Project.

Florida Chapter--American Academy of Pediatrics, Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois Action for Children, Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Island Pediatrics of Honolulu, Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Michigan Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics, Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, New Mexico Pediatric Society, North Carolina Pediatric Society, Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, OHSU/Doernbecher Tom Sargent Safety Center, Oklahoma Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, South Dakota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Sudden Infant Death Services of Illinois, Inc., Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Virginia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Wyckoff Hospital, Wyoming Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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