I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1173 

To authorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a consumer 

product safety rule to prevent injuries to users of vending machines 

and entrapment by small children. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2007 

Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 

issue a consumer product safety rule to prevent injuries 

to users of vending machines and entrapment by small 

children. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vending Machine Safe5 ty Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) In October 2006, after failing to scoop out 

2 a stuffed replica of Sponge Bob Square Pants in a 

3 crane vending machine, three-year-old Robert Moore 

4 took off his coat and squeezed through an opening 

5 in the machine. 

6 (2) In May 2005, a 3 year old boy in Elkhart, 

7 Indiana, had to be rescued by firefighters after he 

8 was trapped in a crane vending machine. The boy 

9 was rescued after firefighters removed the back of 

10 the machine. 

11 (3) In June 2000, a 4 year old boy in O’Fallon, 

12 Missouri, had to be rescued after getting trapped in13 side a crane vending machine. The child crawled into 

14 the machine through the trap door through which 

15 toys are dispensed. The child was freed from the 

16 machine only after rescue workers pried the top of 

17 the machine off. 

18 (4) In June 2000, another case of a child being 

19 trapped inside the same trap door of a crane vend20 ing machine occurred in Texas. 

21 (5) Since 1990, the Consumer Product Safety 

22 Commission has received at least 43 reported inci23 dents of individuals’ use of vending machines which 

24 has resulted in personal injury primarily to the indi25 viduals’ arms and hands. 


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1 (6) At least 25 of the reported injuries were 

2 suffered by minors, 15 of which were by children 

3 under the age of 10. 

4 (7) It is clear that there are defects in the de5 sign of the vending machines which have led to the 

6 reported injuries. 

7 SEC. 3. VENDING MACHINE RULE. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

9 of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission 

10 shall issue a consumer product safety standard under sec11 tion 7 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 

12 2056), for the manufacture and installation of vending 

13 machines, particularly those using a lever or crane appa14 ratus to dispense a product. Such standard may include 

15 a requirement for warning labels or signs relating to the 

16 use of such machines to prevent injuries to individuals, 

17 including children, and may, in the case of a vending ma18 chine with an opening of sufficient size to permit entrap19 ment by a small child, include requirements for an emer20 gency release latch or mechanism for opening the vending 

21 machine. 

Æ 


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