II 

Calendar No. 583 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1793 

[Report No. 113–269] 

To encourage States to require the installation of residential carbon monoxide 

detectors in homes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 10, 2013 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. CASEY, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, 

Mr. MARKEY, Mr. NELSON, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

NOVEMBER 12, 2014 

Reported by Mr. ROCKEFELLER, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To encourage States to require the installation of residential 

carbon monoxide detectors in homes, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nicholas and Zachary 

3 Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention 

4 Act of 2013’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas 

8 produced by burning any fuel. Exposure to un9 healthy levels of carbon monoxide can lead to carbon 

10 monoxide poisoning, a serious health condition that 

11 could result in death. 

12 (2) Unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning 

13 from motor vehicles and the abnormal operation of 

14 fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, water 

15 heaters, portable generators, and stoves, in residen16 tial homes and other dwelling units kills more than 

17 400 people each year and sends more than 20,000 

18 to hospital emergency rooms for treatment. 

19 (3) Research shows that purchasing and install20 ing carbon monoxide alarms close to the sleeping 

21 areas in residential homes and other dwelling units 

22 can help avoid fatalities. 

23 (4) Congress should promote the purchase and 

24 installation of carbon monoxide alarms in residential 

25 homes and dwelling units nationwide in order to proVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:18 Nov 12, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1793.RS S1793

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1 mote the health and public safety of citizens 

2 throughout the Nation. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM.—The term 

6 ‘‘carbon monoxide alarm’’ means a device that— 

7 (A) detects carbon monoxide; and 

8 (B) is intended to alarm at carbon mon9 oxide concentrations below those that could 

10 cause a loss of ability to react to the dangers 

11 of carbon monoxide exposure. 

12 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

13 means the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

14 (3) COMPLIANT CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM.— 

15 The term ‘‘compliant carbon monoxide alarm’’ 

16 means a carbon monoxide alarm that complies with 

17 the most current version of— 

18 (A) the American National Standard for 

19 Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide 

20 Alarms (ANSI/UL 2034); and 

21 (B) the American National Standard for 

22 Gas and Vapor Detectors and Sensors (ANSI/ 

23 UL 2075). 

24 (4) DWELLING UNIT.—The term ‘‘dwelling 

25 unit’’ means a room or suite of rooms used for 


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1 human habitation, and includes a single family resi2 dence as well as each living unit of a multiple family 

3 residence (including apartment buildings) and each 

4 living unit in a mixed use building. 

5 (5) FIRE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.— 

6 The term ‘‘fire code enforcement officials’’ means of7 ficials of the fire safety code enforcement agency of 

8 a State or local government. 

9 (6) NFPA 720.—The term ‘‘NFPA 720’’ 

10 means— 

11 (A) the Standard for the Installation of 

12 Carbon Monoxide Detection and Warning 

13 Equipment issued by the National Fire Protec14 tion Association in 2012; and 

15 (B) any amended or similar successor 

16 standard pertaining to the proper installation of 

17 carbon monoxide alarms in dwelling units. 

18 SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POI19 SONING PREVENTION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap21 propriations authorized under subsection (f), the Commis22 sion shall establish a grant program to provide assistance 

23 to eligible States and local governments to carry out the 

24 carbon monoxide poisoning prevention activities described 

25 in subsection (d). 


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1 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant under 

2 the program, a State or local government shall— 

3 (1) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Com4 mission that the State or local government has 

5 adopted a statute, or the State or local government 

6 agency has adopted a rule, regulation, or similar 

7 measure with the force and effect of law, requiring 

8 compliant carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in 

9 dwelling units in accordance with NFPA 720; and 

10 (2) submit an application to the Commission at 

11 such time, in such form, and containing such addi12 tional information as the Commission may require, 

13 which application may be filed on behalf of the State 

14 or local government by the fire code enforcement of15 ficials for such State or local government. 

16 (c) GRANT AMOUNT; PRIORITY.—The Commission 

17 shall determine the amount of the grants awarded under 

18 this section, and shall give priority to applications from 

19 States or local governments that— 

20 (1) prioritize the installation of compliant car21 bon monoxide alarms in existing dwelling units— 

22 (A) within which a fuel-burning appliance 

23 is installed, including a furnace, boiler, water 

24 heater, fireplace, or any other apparatus, appli25 ance, or device that burns fuel; or 


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1 (B) which has an attached garage; 

2 (2) have developed a strategy to protect vulner3 able populations such as children, the elderly, or 

4 low-income households; and 

5 (3) demonstrate greater than average losses of 

6 life from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home. 

7 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—A State receiving a grant under 

8 this section may use grant funds— 

9 (1) to purchase and install compliant carbon 

10 monoxide alarms in the dwelling units of low-income 

11 families or elderly persons, facilities that commonly 

12 serve children or the elderly, including childcare fa13 cilities, public schools, and senior centers, or student 

14 dwelling units owned by public universities; 

15 (2) to train State or local fire code enforcement 

16 officials in the proper enforcement of State or local 

17 laws concerning compliant carbon monoxide alarms 

18 and the installation of such alarms in accordance 

19 with NFPA 720; 

20 (3) for the development and dissemination of 

21 training materials, instructors, and any other costs 

22 related to the training sessions authorized by this 

23 subsection; and 


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1 (4) to educate the public about the risk associ2 ated with carbon monoxide as a poison and the im3 portance of proper carbon monoxide alarm use. 

4 (e) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 

6 10 percent of any grant funds received under this 

7 section may be used to cover administrative costs 

8 not directly related to training described in sub9 section (d)(2). 

10 (2) PUBLIC OUTREACH.—Not more than 25 

11 percent of any grant funds received under this sec12 tion may be used to cover costs of activities de13 scribed in subsection (d)(4). 

14 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

16 appropriated to the Commission, for each of the fis17 cal years 2013 through 2017, $2,000,000, which 

18 shall remain available until expended to carry out 

19 this Act. 

20 (2) RETENTION OF AMOUNTS.—Any amounts 

21 appropriated pursuant to this subsection that re22 main unexpended and unobligated on September 30, 

23 2016, shall be retained by the Commission and cred24 ited to the appropriations account that funds the enVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:18 Nov 12, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1793.RS S1793

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1 forcement of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 

2 U.S.C. 2051). 

3 (g) COMMISSION REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

4 after the last day of each fiscal year for which grants are 

5 awarded under this section, the Commission shall submit 

6 to Congress a report that evaluates the implementation 

7 of the grant program required by this section. 

8 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

9 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nicholas and Zachary 

10 Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act 

11 of 2013’’. 

12 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

13 Congress finds the following: 

14 (1) Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas 

15 produced by burning any fuel. Exposure to unhealthy 

16 levels of carbon monoxide can lead to carbon mon17 oxide poisoning, a serious health condition that could 

18 result in death. 

19 (2) Unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning 

20 from motor vehicles and the abnormal operation of 

21 fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, water heat22 ers, portable generators, and stoves, kills more than 

23 400 people each year and sends more than 20,000 to 

24 hospital emergency rooms for treatment. 


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1 (3) Research shows that purchasing and install2 ing carbon monoxide alarms close to the sleeping 

3 areas in residential homes and other dwelling units 

4 can help avoid fatalities. 

5 (4) Congress should promote the purchase and 

6 installation of carbon monoxide alarms in residential 

7 homes and dwelling units nationwide in order to pro8 mote the health and public safety of citizens through9 out the Nation. 

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this Act: 

12 (1) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM.—The term ‘‘car13 bon monoxide alarm’’ means a device or system 

14 that— 

15 (A) detects carbon monoxide; and 

16 (B) is intended to alarm at carbon mon17 oxide concentrations below those that could cause 

18 a loss of ability to react to the dangers of carbon 

19 monoxide exposure. 

20 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

21 means the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

22 (3) COMPLIANT CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM.—The 

23 term ‘‘compliant carbon monoxide alarm’’ means a 

24 carbon monoxide alarm that complies with the most 

25 current version of— 


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1 (A) the American National Standard for 

2 Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide 

3 Alarms (ANSI/UL 2034); and 

4 (B) the American National Standard for 

5 Gas and Vapor Detectors and Sensors (ANSI/UL 

6 2075). 

7 (4) DWELLING UNIT.—The term ‘‘dwelling unit’’ 

8 means a room or suite of rooms used for human habi9 tation, and includes a single family residence as well 

10 as each living unit of a multiple family residence (in11 cluding apartment buildings) and each living unit in 

12 a mixed use building. 

13 (5) FIRE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.—The 

14 term ‘‘fire code enforcement officials’’ means officials 

15 of the fire safety code enforcement agency of a State 

16 or local government. 

17 (6) NFPA 720.—The term ‘‘NFPA 720’’ 

18 means— 

19 (A) the Standard for the Installation of 

20 Carbon Monoxide Detection and Warning 

21 Equipment issued by the National Fire Protec22 tion Association in 2012; and 

23 (B) any amended or similar successor 

24 standard pertaining to the proper installation of 

25 carbon monoxide alarms in dwelling units. 


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1 (7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning 

2 given such term in section 3 of the Consumer Product 

3 Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052) and includes the North4 ern Mariana Islands and any political subdivision of 

5 a State. 

6 SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POI7 SONING PREVENTION. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of appro9 priations authorized under subsection (f), the Commission 

10 shall establish a grant program to provide assistance to eli11 gible States to carry out the carbon monoxide poisoning 

12 prevention activities described in subsection (e). 

13 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, an eli14 gible State is any State that— 

15 (1) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Com16 mission that the State has adopted a statute or a rule, 

17 regulation, or similar measure with the force and ef18 fect of law, requiring compliant carbon monoxide 

19 alarms to be installed in dwelling units in accordance 

20 with NFPA 720; and 

21 (2) submits an application to the Commission at 

22 such time, in such form, and containing such addi23 tional information as the Commission may require, 

24 which application may be filed on behalf of the State 

25 by the fire code enforcement officials for such State. 


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1 (c) GRANT AMOUNT.—The Commission shall deter2 mine the amount of the grants awarded under this section. 

3 (d) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.—In selecting 

4 eligible States for the award of grants under this section, 

5 the Commission shall give favorable consideration to an eli6 gible State that— 

7 (1) requires the installation of compliant carbon 

8 monoxide alarms in new or existing educational fa9 cilities, childcare facilities, health care facilities, adult 

10 dependent care facilities, government buildings, res11 taurants, theaters, lodging establishments, or dwelling 

12 units— 

13 (A) within which a fuel-burning appliance 

14 is installed, including a furnace, boiler, water 

15 heater, fireplace, or any other apparatus, appli16 ance, or device that burns fuel; or 

17 (B) which has an attached garage; and 

18 (2) has developed a strategy to protect vulnerable 

19 populations such as children, the elderly, or low-in20 come households. 

21 (e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State receiving a 

23 grant under this section may use such grant— 

24 (A) to purchase and install compliant car25 bon monoxide alarms in the dwelling units of 


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1 low-income families or elderly persons, facilities 

2 that commonly serve children or the elderly, in3 cluding childcare facilities, public schools, and 

4 senior centers, or student dwelling units owned 

5 by public universities; 

6 (B) to train State or local fire code enforce7 ment officials in the proper enforcement of State 

8 or local laws concerning compliant carbon mon9 oxide alarms and the installation of such alarms 

10 in accordance with NFPA 720; 

11 (C) for the development and dissemination 

12 of training materials, instructors, and any other 

13 costs related to the training sessions authorized 

14 by this subsection; and 

15 (D) to educate the public about the risk as16 sociated with carbon monoxide as a poison and 

17 the importance of proper carbon monoxide alarm 

18 use. 

19 (2) LIMITATIONS.— 

20 (A) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more 

21 than 10 percent of any grant amount received 

22 under this section may be used to cover adminis23 trative costs not directly related to training de24 scribed in paragraph (1)(B). 


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1 (B) PUBLIC OUTREACH.—Not more than 25 

2 percent of any grant amount received under this 

3 section may be used to cover costs of activities 

4 described in paragraph (1)(D). 

5 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

7 there is authorized to be appropriated to the Commis8 sion, for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2019, 

9 $2,000,000, which shall remain available until ex10 pended to carry out this Act. 

11 (2) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EX12 PENSES.—Not more than 10 percent of the amounts 

13 appropriated or otherwise made available to carry 

14 out this section may be used for administrative ex15 penses. 

16 (3) RETENTION OF AMOUNTS.—Any amounts ap17 propriated pursuant to this subsection that remain 

18 unexpended and unobligated on September 30, 2019, 

19 shall be retained by the Commission and credited to 

20 the appropriations account that funds the enforcement 

21 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2051). 

22 (g) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the last day 

23 of each fiscal year for which grants are awarded under this 

24 section, the Commission shall submit to Congress a report 


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1 that evaluates the implementation of the grant program re2 quired by this section. 


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Calendar No. 583 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1793 

[Report No. 113–269] 

A BILL 

To encourage States to require the installation of 

and for other purposes. residential carbon monoxide detectors in homes, 

NOVEMBER 12, 2014 

Reported with an amendment 


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