Federal Pool Safety Legislation Passes Congress

Bill seeking to end childhood drowning heads for President's signature

December 18, 2007
(Washington, DC) -- Legislation that seeks to end hundreds of preventable
childhood deaths each year passed the House of Representatives today as part
of a larger Energy Bill. The legislation had already passed the Senate, so
the legislation goes to the President, who has indicated he will sign the
legislation into law.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz introduced The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa
Safety in the House of Representatives to combat drowning, the second
leading cause of accidental death for children ages one to fourteen years
old. The legislation provides incentive grants to states that pass
legislation implementing layers of protection to help prevent childhood
drowning and establishes an educational outreach program to alert people to
the potential dangers posed to children by pools and spas.

"Quite simply, the passage of this legislation means that fewer children
will die from drowning in swimming pools or spas," said Rep. Wasserman
Schultz. "335 children died in the United States in 2004 and basic pool
safety legislation would have dramatically reduced those childhood
fatalities."

"This is a strong bill that will help improve product safety standards and
consumer education efforts," said Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman of the
Committee on Energy and Commerce (MI-15). "Debbie has demonstrated
tremendous leadership in crafting this legislation. As a result of her
efforts American children will be safer."

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act uses as a model existing
Florida pool safety legislation, the "Preston de Ibern/McKenzie Merriam
Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act," that U.S. Rep. Wasserman Schultz
introduced in 1998 and passed in 2000 while serving as a Representative in
the Florida State Legislature.

"The tragedy of hundreds of children dying each year from accidental
drowning and four times as many who are near-drowning victims with
devastating injuries, is made even more painful by the knowledge that these
types of accidents are preventable," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. "We must
implement national standards to replace the haphazard safety measures that
allowed Graeme, and hundreds of children like her, to be lost in such
nightmare scenarios."

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is intended to increase
the safety of swimming pools and spas by motivating states to pass laws that
incorporate layers of protection in order to help prevent drowning, drain
entrapment and hair entanglements. The legislation would provide grants to
states which require all swimming pools and spas to have these layers of
protection:

Installation of physical barriers (such as a fence) around a pool to prevent
children's unattended access.
Mandates pools to be equipped with a suction outlet drain cover which
prevents hair and body entanglement.
Requires the installation of a safety vacuum release system, shutting off a
pump if it detects a blockage.
Public awareness campaign regarding the importance of active supervision of
children at or near a pool or spa.
The legislation authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
with $29 million to help end accidental drowning. Four million dollars in
2009 and 2010 to fund an incentive grant program for states that enact pool
safety laws and twenty five million dollars from 2008-2012 to create an
educational outreach program for pool and spa owners, professionals,
businesses and municipalities to inform people of the danger of accidental
drowning associated with pools and spas, and how these dangers can be
alleviated.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz's legislation passed the House of Representatives
418-3 on October 9th. The legislation then went to the Senate where Sen.
Coburn (R-OK) placed a "hold" on the legislation. Despite repeated
discussions with his office, the Senator refused to release his hold on the
bill. Rep. Wasserman Schultz then called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
and asked him personally to move the legislation forward, going against the
Senate tradition of respecting individual members' "holds." Sen. Reid went
one step further, and on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 took to the floor of
the Senate and used the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act as an
example of Republican obstructionism. The legislation was then added to the
Senate Energy bill, which passed the Senate on Thursday, December 13, 2007.