Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 973, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act.

This legislation will protect Americans from fires caused by lithium- ion batteries. It directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require manufacturers to comply with safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in micromobility devices, like electric bicycles and scooters.

Fires caused by faulty or misused batteries are on the rise. Between 2019 and 2023, there were more than 400 fires, 300 injuries, and 12 deaths from fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in New York City alone. In February, a fire caused by lithium-ion batteries at a recycling facility in my home State of New Jersey required the evacuation of over 100 residents from their homes and caused massive property damage. Last month, in California, a 6-year-old girl and her grandmother and great-grandmother were all tragically killed in a house fire caused by a lithium-ion battery.

We are witnessing all of these tragic accidents in communities across the Nation, yet there is no mandatory Federal standard to ensure lithium-ion batteries are safe.

As electric bikes and scooters grow in popularity, we must ensure that the CPSC adopts a strong Federal safety standard for lithium-ion batteries. Consumers deserve to know that the products they buy are thoroughly tested and safe, and this legislation would do just that.

I have to say that compliance with this bill depends on enforcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Like other legislation we are considering this afternoon, it depends on the existence of a strong, bipartisan, and independent CPSC to protect Americans from unsafe products.

At the same time that our Republican colleagues vote for this bill, they will continue to remain silent as President Trump's callous willingness to risk the safety of all Americans continues by his planning to eliminate the CPSC and fold its mission into the Department of Health and Human Services, which itself will have a dramatically smaller workforce and narrower mission.

Eliminating the existing CPSC or stripping it of the independent and bipartisan structure that Congress has mandated puts children and all Americans' physical safety in grave danger.

The CPSC is a small agency tasked with a massive job to protect consumers from hazards associated with a vast array of consumer products, from infant car seats to window blinds to home repair equipment. American consumers deserve to have peace of mind that the products we are bringing into our homes are safe.

I hope my Republican colleagues will finally begin to speak up against President Trump's dangerous plan to consolidate power in the White House and eliminate the critical agency that does a lot of this enforcement work at the expense of our children's safety.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Torres for his leadership on this issue, and I also thank Representative Clarke for championing this bill in our committee. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Again, I will stress that without CPSC enforcement, this legislation is not going to mean much.

Mr. Speaker, again, I don't want to take away from these bills. Each of the bills that we have today is bipartisan and came out of our committee, but it is a shame that they weren't passed already in December but for Elon Musk. It certainly would not be helpful--oh, I am sorry. Mr. Torres is here, so I can't close yet, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the Democratic sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Again, I hate to keep repeating, but these bills are all good that we are considering this afternoon, and they should have already become law but for Elon Musk. Again, it is important that we reauthorize these programs or authorize these programs for the first time.

However, unless we have enforcement ability from agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they are not going to mean much because they require enforcement and investigation. Basically the agencies are the ones that make sure that this type of legislation is effective.

I hope that my Republican colleagues will see fit to speak out against the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Putting it in another department is not going to help because they will have less workforce and less ability to function.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill titled the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply grateful to Chair Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chair Bilirakis, and all the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee for their support. I am equally grateful to my partners in this effort, Congress Members Yvette Clarke, Andrew Garbarino, and Nick Langworthy.

At the heart of our legislative progress has been the tireless advocacy of the FDNY, the finest and bravest fire department in the Nation.

The sheer speed and scale of destruction caused by a lithium-ion battery fire is nothing short of staggering. In the Bronx, we witnessed one of our few neighborhood supermarkets, 2096 Grand Concourse, instantaneously reduced to rubble by a five-alarm fire caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery. These fires are happening with greater frequency and ferocity across America.

Nowhere has this crisis been more acute than in New York City, which has emerged as the epicenter of lithium-ion battery fires, with more than a thousand incidents since 2019. The number of fires has been rising relentlessly, from 30 in 2019 to 44 in 2020, 104 in 2021, 219 in 2022, 268 in 2023, and 279 in 2024. In just 4 years, America's largest city has seen an over 800 percent surge in these fires, creating an unprecedented crisis in public safety.

Poorly manufactured lithium-ion batteries often imported from China are hidden ticking time bombs waiting to detonate in American homes and neighborhoods. The danger has become too great to ignore.

Today, the House is poised to pass bipartisan legislation that will finally empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish mandatory safety standards for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices.

In doing so, we are acting to prevent needless fires, save lives, and safeguard communities across our Nation, and we are honoring our most sacred duty: to protect the American people.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support from a coalition of stakeholders in favor of this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 973) to establish consumer standards for lithium-ion batteries.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 973, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act, led by Representative Torres.

H.R. 973 requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue consumer product safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility devices, addressing the serious fire hazards they pose.

Tragically, defective batteries, particularly those imported from China, have already claimed too many lives.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representative Torres, Representative Langworthy, Representative Clarke, and Representative Garbarino, for their bipartisan leadership to protect consumers and first responders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 973, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I congratulate Representative Torres and others for this great bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.