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Wasserman Schultz Reintroduces Federal Pool & Spa Safety Act

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) has reintroduced the federal Pool & Spa Safety Act (H.R. 1721) in the House of Representatives. The bill, which failed to become law in 2006, would create incentives (in the form of federal grants administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to states that adopt pool and spa safety codes that include anti-drowning measures such as fencing, safety drains, and increased public awareness messaging. (To view the bill, click here, select Bill Number, and type in HR1721.)

APSP is working with a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm to help develop our industry's response to the bill. While it is being coordinated, APSP President Bill Weber requests that industry members refrain from communicating about this legislation, so that the industry can continue to speak with one voice.

APSP supports the bill with two notable exceptions: the mandating of SVRS devices on pools with dual drains, which conflicts with the new ANSI-7 Standard; and the mandating of isolation fencing. We support the use of safety devices and systems, but we believe in allowing all technology to be made available to the public, without mandating certain technologies that may not fully protect consumers in all instances.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 260 children under the age of five die annually from drowning. According to the Florida State Health Department, which tracks drowning deaths, the stricter laws passed by the state in 2000 reduced the number of deaths statewide from 2000 to 2004. No explanation was given for an upturn in 2005.