Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I…”

“As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1314, the ``Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Children Act,'' or ``STURDY Act,'' which directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to adopt a stronger, mandatory stability standard for clothing storage units within one year of enactment, following the streamlined rulemaking process that it has used for numerous children's products. A tip-over can involve a piece of furniture, often a dresser or other type of clothing storage unit, falling onto a small child. These dangerous episodes can lead to a trip to the emergency room, or even death. A child is sent to the emergency room because of a tip-over incident every 60 minutes, and on average, 1 to 2 children die every month. Children age 2 to 5 are at the highest risk--their motor abilities allow them to navigate the home by themselves and their intellectual development makes them curious about objects that might be out of reach. In June 2016, IKEA recalled 29 million dressers and chests due to a tipover hazard; at least 8 children died in tragic tip-over accidents and hundreds of children have been injured by IKEA furniture. Mr. Speaker, relying upon a voluntary standard for dressers is not enough to protect our children from tip-overs. The voluntary standard only tests whether a dresser or drawer will tip with 50 lbs. hanging from an open drawer.…”