Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021

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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3182.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

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. I call on my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who is the chair of the subcommittee and one of the major sponsors of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I also ask for support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3182, the Safe Sleep for Babies Act. I thank Mr. Cardenas and, of course, Chair Schakowsky for their hard work on this bill.

H.R. 3182 addresses the risk of dangers that infants face from inclined sleepers and crib bumpers. This bill bans all products with an inclined sleep surface greater than 10 degrees to address the tragic deaths related to inclined sleepers and any crib bumpers intended to cover the sides of a crib or that prevent access to openings on the sides of the crib.

I am always ready to work with my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee to help protect Americans from potentially harmful products. That is the reason I requested this subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this particular measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this very important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Pallone and my ranking member because this is such an important bipartisan bill that is designed to save lives.

My colleague, Tony Cardenas, and I introduced the Safe Sleep for Babies Act after the release of several devastating reports linking inclined sleep products and crib bumpers to infant deaths. This urgently needed legislation will add these dangerous products to the list of banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act.

The science is clear: The safest sleep environment for babies is a flat, firm, bare surface with no restraints or soft bedding. Infant inclined sleep products and crib bumpers are dangerous and should not be on the market at all.

If we do not pass this legislation, companies will continue to sell and market these products that can harm and even kill infants, and infants will continue to be harmed if we don't act now. As a mother and grandmother, I know that we must act now to ensure that no more babies die from unsafe sleep products.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3182 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Madam President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.