I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1139 
To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a consumer 
product safety standard for liquid detergent packets to protect children 
under the age of five from injury or illness, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2015 
Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mr. RUSH, Ms. MOORE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
TONKO, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. HONDA, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Ms. KAPTUR) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to 
establish a consumer product safety standard for liquid 
detergent packets to protect children under the age of 
five from injury or illness, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Detergent Poisoning 
And Child Safety Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘Detergent PACS 
Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. SPECIAL PACKAGING AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS 
FOR LIQUID DETERGENT PACKETS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 
(2) CONSUMER
PRODUCT.—The term ‘‘con-
sumer product’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 3(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act 
(15 U.S.C. 2052(a)). 
(3) DETERGENT
PACKET.—The term ‘‘deter-
gent packet’’ means a consumer product that con-
sists of a detergent enclosed in a water soluble outer 
layer. 
(4) LIQUID
DETERGENT
PACKET.—The term 
‘‘liquid detergent packet’’ means a consumer product 
that consists of a substantially liquid or gel deter-
gent enclosed in a water soluble outer layer. 
(5) SPECIAL
PACKAGING.—The term ‘‘special 
packaging’’ has the meaning given that term in sec-
tion 2 of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 
1970 (15 U.S.C. 1471). 
(b) SAFETY STANDARDS REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (c)(1), not later than 540 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
promulgate a final rule that establishes safety stand-
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ards for liquid detergent packets to protect children 
who are younger than 5 years of age from injury or 
illness caused by exposure to such packets. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The final rule promulgated 
under paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) require special packaging for liquid de-
tergent packets; 
(B) include standards to address the de-
sign and color of liquid detergent packets to— 
(i) make them less attractive to chil-
dren; 
(ii) reduce the likelihood of exposure 
to detergent; and 
(iii) otherwise reduce risks related to 
the ingestion or aspiration of, or ocular 
contact with, detergent and other potential 
injury risks of liquid detergent packets; 
(C) include standards to address the com-
position of liquid detergent packets to make the 
consequences of exposure less severe; and 
(D) prescribe warning labels that— 
(i) adequately inform consumers of 
the potential risks of injury and death 
caused by liquid detergent packets; 
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(ii) are conspicuous and visible at the 
point of sale; 
(iii) clarify hazard patterns, including 
known consequences of such hazards; and 
(iv) identify actions needed to avoid 
injury. 
(3) TREATMENT AS CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFE-
TY
STANDARD.—A rule promulgated under para-
graph (1) shall be treated as a consumer product 
safety standard described in section 7(a) of the Con-
sumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056(a)). 
(4) RULEMAKING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A rule under paragraph 
(1) shall be promulgated in accordance with 
section 553 of title 5, United States Code. 
(B) INAPPLICABILITY
OF
CERTAIN
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Section 9 of the Consumer 
Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058) shall not 
apply to a rulemaking under paragraph (1). 
(c) ADOPTION OF VOLUNTARY STANDARD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b)(1) shall not 
apply if the Commission determines that— 
(A) a voluntary standard pertaining to liq-
uid detergent packets manufactured or im-
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ported for use in the United States protects 
children as described in subsection (b)(1); 
(B) such voluntary standard is or will be 
in effect not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act; and 
(C) such voluntary standard is developed 
by ASTM International Subcommittee F15.71 
on Liquid Laundry Packets, or such other enti-
ty as the Commission considers a successor to 
ASTM International Subcommittee F15.71. 
(2) PUBLICATION OF DETERMINATION.—If the 
Commission makes a determination under paragraph 
(1), the Commission shall publish such determina-
tion in the Federal Register. 
(3) TREATMENT OF VOLUNTARY STANDARD.— 
If the Commission determines that a voluntary 
standard meets the conditions in paragraph (1), 
such standard shall be treated as a consumer prod-
uct safety standard described in section 7(a) of the 
Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056(a)) 
beginning on the date that is the later of— 
(A) the date that is 180 days after the 
date of the publication under paragraph (2) of 
such determination; or 
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(B) the effective date specified in the vol-
untary standard. 
(4) REVISION OF VOLUNTARY STANDARD.— 
(A) NOTICE OF REVISION.—If a voluntary 
standard is treated as a consumer product safe-
ty standard under paragraph (3) and such 
standard is revised by ASTM International 
after the Commission makes a determination 
under paragraph (1), ASTM International shall 
notify the Commission of such revision not later 
than 60 days after making such revision. 
(B) TREATMENT
OF
REVISIONS.—A vol-
untary standard with respect to which the Com-
mission receives notice under subparagraph (A) 
shall be treated as a consumer product safety 
standard described in section 7(a) of the Con-
sumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056(a)), 
promulgated in lieu of the prior version, effec-
tive 180 days after the date the Commission is 
notified of the revision under subparagraph (A), 
unless not later than 90 days after receiving 
that notice the Commission determines that the 
revised voluntary standard does not meet the 
requirements of paragraph (1)(A), in which 
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case the Commission shall continue to enforce 
the prior version. 
(d) FUTURE RULEMAKING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission may, at 
any time after promulgating a final rule under sub-
section (b)(1) or making a determination under sub-
section (c)(1), promulgate such rules in accordance 
with section 553 of title 5, United States Code, as 
the Commission considers appropriate to protect, to 
the maximum degree practicable, children as de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1). 
(2) TREATMENT AS CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFE-
TY
STANDARD.—A rule promulgated under para-
graph (1) shall be treated as a consumer product 
safety standard described in section 7(a) of the Con-
sumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056(a)). 
(3) INAPPLICABILITY
OF
CERTAIN
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety 
Act (15 U.S.C. 2058) shall not apply to a rule-
making under paragraph (1). 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commis-
sion shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
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Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives a report on risks posed by deter-
gent packets to young children and how the Com-
mission is working to protect such children from 
such risks. 
(2) MATTERS COVERED.—The report required 
by paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) A quantitative assessment of annual 
national pediatric exposure to detergent pack-
ets, including the number of exposure incidents, 
the means of exposure (whether by ingestion, 
aspiration, or ocular contact), the clinical ef-
fects of the exposures, and medical outcomes. 
(B) An assessment as to whether the rule 
promulgated under subsection (b)(1) or the vol-
untary standard adopted under subsection (c), 
as the case may be, has been effective in pro-
tecting young children from injury or illness 
caused by exposure to detergent packets. 
(C) Such recommendations for legislative 
or administrative action as the Commission may 
have to protect young children as described in 
subparagraph (B). 
(3) 
PUBLICATION.—The 
Commission 
shall 
make the report required by paragraph (1) available 
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to the public on the Internet website of the Commis-
sion. 
Æ 
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