January 22, 2025
Mr. Gottheimer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to develop and implement a public awareness campaign with respect to grill safety, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Strengthening Awareness and Funding Education for Grilling Act
or the SAFE Grilling Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds that, according to the National Fire Protection Association and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, during the years 2017 through 2021—
(1)
an average of 22,155 individuals each year went to an emergency room due to injuries involving grills;
(2)
gas grills were involved in an average of 9,079 home fires each year, with 4,454 structure fires and 4,625 outdoor fires averaged annually;
(3)
leaks or breaks were a significant problem with gas grills, as 6 percent of structure fires related to gas grills and 15 percent of outdoor fires related to gas grills were caused by leaks or breaks;
(4)
more than 25 percent of structure fires related to grills began on an exterior balcony or open porch, 8 percent began when an outside wall caught fire, and 4 percent began with some type of structural member or framing;
(5)
July was the peak month for fires related to grills (16 percent of such fires), followed by June (14 percent), May (12 percent), and August (11 percent); and
(6)
a grill that had not been cleaned was involved in roughly 20 percent of fires related to grills.
Sec. 3. Public awareness campaign with respect to grill safety
(a) Requirement
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall develop and implement a public awareness campaign to educate the public with respect to—
(1)
dangers associated with cooking using a grill; and
(2)
best practices for using a grill safely to prevent injuries and fires.
(b) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out this section.