**House Passes Bill to Enhance Safety Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries**

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15 days ago - Politics

House Passes New Safety Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries

In a significant move to protect consumers, the House of Representatives passed a new bill aimed at improving safety standards for lithium-ion batteries. This legislation is designed to make sure that batteries used in electric vehicles, electric bikes, and mobility devices are safer for everyone.

The bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the government group responsible for keeping products safe, to set strict safety rules for these batteries within the next 180 days. This means they will have to follow existing safety guidelines to help prevent dangerous incidents like fires or explosions.

The bill has a strong focus on three important safety standards:

  1. ANSI/CAN/UL 2271: This is for light electric vehicles.
  2. ANSI/CAN/UL 2849: This is for the safety of electric bikes.
  3. ANSI/CAN/UL 2272: This is for personal mobility devices like scooters or wheelchairs.

Manufacturers who make lithium-ion batteries will need to follow these guidelines closely. If there are any changes to the safety rules in the future, the new guidelines will automatically apply unless the safety group decides they won't make things safer. This means that if companies don’t comply, they may face stricter rules to ensure safety.

Additionally, in five years, a report will be sent to Congress detailing any incidents caused by these batteries, such as fires or explosions. This report will include information about what products were involved, who made the batteries, and whether those batteries met the safety standards.

By passing this bill, the House aims to enhance consumer safety, making sure that the batteries we rely on every day are much safer and that manufacturers are held responsible for the products they create.

This is a proposed bill to set safety rules for lithium-ion batteries.

  1. Main Point: The bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create safety standards for lithium-ion batteries within 180 days.

  2. Details:

    • The standards will include rules for batteries used in electric vehicles, e-bikes, and personal mobility devices.
    • If safety standards change, the companies that create these standards must inform the Commission after the changes are approved.
    • A new or revised standard will be treated as an official safety rule 180 days after the Commission receives notice, unless the Commission disagrees with the safety improvements.
    • The Commission must report to Congress in five years about hazards like fires or explosions related to these batteries used in lightweight vehicles. This report will include details like the sources of accidents, battery models involved, and if they met safety standards.
407 votes

Yes

365

No

42

Not Voting

25

  1. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  2. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 365 - 42 (Roll no. 103).
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  3. Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 365 - 42 (Roll no. 103).
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  4. Considered as unfinished business.
  5. At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  6. DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 973.
  7. Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. Mr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Reported in House

    This is a proposed bill to set safety rules for lithium-ion batteries.

    1. Main Point: The bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create safety standards for lithium-ion batteries within 180 days.

    2. Details:

      • The standards will include rules for batteries used in electric vehicles, e-bikes, and personal mobility devices.
      • If safety standards change, the companies that create these standards must inform the Commission after the changes are approved.
      • A new or revised standard will be treated as an official safety rule 180 days after the Commission receives notice, unless the Commission disagrees with the safety improvements.
      • The Commission must report to Congress in five years about hazards like fires or explosions related to these batteries used in lightweight vehicles. This report will include details like the sources of accidents, battery models involved, and if they met safety standards.
  10. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 54.
  11. Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-77.
  12. Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  13. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  14. Introduced in House

    This is a bill that sets safety rules for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in things like electric bikes and scooters.

    First, the bill requires that the Consumer Product Safety Commission must create safety standards for these batteries within 180 days. This means they need to decide what makes a battery safe for people to use.

    The bill also states that if the safety rules change in the future, the relevant organization must inform the Commission, and those new rules will automatically become the new safety standards unless the Commission says otherwise within 90 days.

    Moreover, within five years, the Commission must report back to Congress on any fires or explosions that happened because of these batteries. The report should have details about what caused the problems, the type of battery involved, and if those batteries followed the safety standards.

    Overall, this bill aims to keep consumers safe by making sure that the batteries we use meet strict safety standards, helping to avoid accidents and injuries in our daily lives.

  15. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  16. Introduced in House