Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3182) to provide that inclined sleepers for infants and crib bumpers shall be considered banned hazardous products under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3182
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 2021''. 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 1 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.
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Mr. PALLONE. 3182.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3182, the Safe Sleep for Babies Act.
This important piece of legislation was reintroduced this Congress by Vice Chair Cardenas and Chair Schakowsky of our Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee.
Parents and caregivers deserve the peace of mind that any infant sleep product they buy is consistent with longstanding safe sleep recommendations that babies should only sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface free of extra bedding.
This legislation would ban two very dangerous products for babies that defy safe sleep best practices and have tragically taken far too many infant lives: inclined sleepers and crib bumpers. To date, inclined sleepers have been linked to at least 94 infant fatalities, and crib bumpers have contributed to at least 107 deaths.
Inclined sleepers position babies on a dangerous incline that can lead to the baby's airway becoming obstructed, among other hazard patterns. Crib bumpers create unnecessary suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation risks for babies.
There is simply no reason either of these products should still be on the market. Yet, incline sleepers and crib bumpers are heavily marketed and remain widely available online and on store shelves. Many parents, grandparents, and caregivers continue to purchase these products, wholly unaware of the grave risks they pose to babies.
Since April 2019, when Consumer Reports first reported on the deadly toll of infant inclined products, an independent expert hired by the CPSC has confirmed that all sleep products with inclines greater than 10 degrees pose serious dangers to infants.
Earlier this month, CPSC approved a strong, new Federal safety standard on infant sleep products that will effectively prohibit infant inclined sleepers. However, the new safety standard will not take effect for some time, and there is still no Federal standard to eliminate the hazard posed by crib bumpers.
That is why this bill is necessary. H.R. 3182 bans crib bumpers along with inclined sleepers, and it will take effect 6 months after the date of enactment, making sure strong protections for babies are not needlessly delayed.
We must take action on this bill today, Mr. Speaker, to protect babies across the Nation.
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Mr. PALLONE. Schakowsky), who is the chair of the subcommittee and one of the major sponsors of the bill.
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Mr. PALLONE. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me rise with a great deal of concern and, as well, righteousness and enthusiasm to support the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021.
Our children are our most precious resource, and no one knows how to address parents who have had a child lose their life because of devices that were sold to them to comfort their babies. The Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021, in particular, is going to help to take those products off that heretofore have gone without discovery, without assessment, and without penalty. They are devices that are in cribs and bassinets that have not been assessed to cause death.
Babies have been losing their lives to frightened parents, shocked parents, caretakers, and grandparents. What a tragedy to lose that infant in the early part of their life through no fault of the caretaker, the parent, and, certainly, that baby.
This legislation, I hope, will find its way quickly through the United States Senate and as well find its way quickly to the President's desk.
As a member of the Judiciary Committee, we have, frighteningly, seen over the past weeks and months the loss of life of children through gun violence. We have a responsibility from the very birth of a child, from its time to come to be with its loving family, to find a way to protect and preserve its life. Babies, again, are enormously precious.
I think this legislation is long overdue. I ask my colleagues to support the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021. I am glad to join the Energy and Commerce Committee and its original sponsor, Mr. Cardenas, to be able to, hopefully, move this bill as quickly as possible.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also ask for support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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