Pandemic Effects on Home Safety and Tourism Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the authors of this legislation, Representatives Cardenas and Davis.

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens this winter, we must protect Americans who are spending more time in their homes. The pandemic has magnified risks associated with household consumer products. Children are particularly vulnerable, especially as parents are juggling their children while working from home.

Unsupervised children face greater risks from bikes, scooters, trampolines, and pools. Calls to the poison control centers for children ingesting hand sanitizer have increased this year as well.

This legislation will direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to study and report on injuries and deaths that are associated with consumer products during the pandemic. It will ensure Americans have up-to-date information about risks to safety as the pandemic continues. We will learn about emergency safety threats more quickly so that action can actually be taken to protect consumers.

This legislation also deals with the issues that are being faced right now by the travel industry. This legislation directs the Department of Commerce to study and report to Congress on the impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism.

As Americans stay in their homes to protect themselves, travel and tourism have plummeted. The industry is an important part of our national economy, and over 15.7 million Americans work in the travel and tourism industries. These jobs are vital to many local communities.

The decline of travel and tourism has devastated many other parts of the economy. Live events, the arts, hotels, and restaurants have all felt the effect. We must understand the full impact of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry so that we can help the industry recover and come back strong.

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