I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1861 
To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue regulations 
concerning the safety and labeling of certain furniture and electronic 
appliances. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2005 
Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania (for herself, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. DAVIS 
of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue 
regulations concerning the safety and labeling of certain 
furniture and electronic appliances. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Katie Elise and 
Meghan Agnes Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 victims are 
treated annually in hospital emergency rooms in the
United States for injuries associated with the tip 
over of furniture or appliances, and an average of 6 
deaths occur each year as a result. 
(2) The majority of these injuries and deaths 
are to children. 
(3) These injuries and deaths frequently occur 
when children climb onto, fall against, or pull them-
selves up on such items as shelves, bookcases, dress-
ers, bureaus, desks, chests, television stands, and 
television sets. 
(4) There are currently no mandatory safety 
standards in place for such items of furniture and 
electronic appliances. 
(5) The issuance of mandatory safety standards 
to warn and protect consumers of the dangers asso-
ciated with unsecured furniture and electronic appli-
ances would reduce the risk of injury or death. 
SEC. 3. FURNITURE AND APPLIANCE SAFETY AND LABEL-
ING STANDARDS. 
(a) APPLICABLE FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES.— 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’) shall promul-
gate regulations pursuant to section 7 of the Consumer 
Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056) applicable to any
furniture or electronic appliance that the Commission de-
termines poses a substantial safety hazard due to tipping 
because of its design, height, weight, stability, or other 
features. 
(b) SAFETY
STANDARDS.—The regulations pre-
scribed pursuant to subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, 
require— 
(1) all applicable furniture to withstand a rea-
sonable amount of pressure, as determined by the 
Commission, in both loaded and unloaded conditions, 
without tipping; and 
(2) the inclusion of angle-braces, anchors, or 
other anchoring devices, and instructions, including 
pictures, for securing furniture to wall beams using 
the provided angle-braces or anchors, in the pack-
aging of all furniture that does not meet the require-
ments of paragraph (1), or furniture or electronic 
appliances that, in the opinion of the Commission, 
could be made more secure by the inclusion of such 
braces and devices. 
SEC. 4. LABELING REQUIREMENTS. 
In addition to the safety standards promulgated pur-
suant to section 2, the Commission shall promulgate regu-
lations requiring the following related to warning labels:
(1) Warning labels shall be required on the 
packaging of any furniture or electronic appliance 
that the Commission determines poses a substantial 
safety hazard due to tipping because of its design, 
height, weight, stability, or other features. Such 
warning labels shall state, in a clear and conspicuous 
manner, that unsecured furniture may tip resulting 
in serious bodily injury or even death and shall ad-
vise securing the furniture to a wall beam or using 
angle-braces, as appropriate, to make the furniture 
more secure; and 
(2) Warning labels shall be required on the 
packaging of any furniture with drawers that the 
Commission determines poses a danger to children 
due to tipping. Such warning labels shall state, in a 
clear and conspicuous manner, that children may 
use drawers as steps causing furniture to tip result-
ing in serious bodily injury or even death, and shall 
advise installing locking devices on drawers to pre-
vent the drawers from being opened by children. 
SEC. 5. FACTORS. 
In prescribing the safety standards under this Act, 
the Commission shall take into consideration the intended 
uses of the furniture or electronic appliance and the likeli-
hood that, due to the design of the furniture, children 
could climb on or tip the furniture. 
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