Henry Waxman: “I rise today to support H.R. 814, a commonsense bill that will protect children from severe harm. The Children's…”

“I rise today to support H.R. 814, a commonsense bill that will protect children from severe harm. The Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act will resolve a long-standing loophole in Federal law. For more than 30 years, we have required that household hazardous materials be sold in child resistant containers. Gasoline cans were exempt from this requirement for one simple reason. They are sold empty. They do not hold any hazardous material when they are purchased. This is a meaningless distinction--the sole purpose of these cans is to hold gasoline, a highly flammable and dangerous material. This bill will require that companies sell cans that children can't open. I worked with my colleague Dennis Moore to introduce a similar bill last Congress, after I learned about young children who were killed or permanently injured in fires that began when the children accidentally opened a gas can. Stephen Diaz, a California boy, is just one example. He opened a gas can in his family garage and knocked it over. The fumes ignited, and he was burned over half of his body. This fire, and many others, could and should have been prevented. I am pleased that the bill has been reintroduced this Congress and is on the floor today. The Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act is a simple but important piece of legislation that I urge my colleagues to support.”