IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1690 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs 
AN ACT 
To require carbon monoxide alarms or detectors in certain 
federally assisted housing, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Carbon Monoxide 
Alarms Leading Every Resident To Safety Act of 2019’’ 
or the ‘‘CO ALERTS Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) carbon monoxide alarms are not required by 
federally assisted housing programs, when not re-
quired by State or local codes; 
(2) numerous federally assisted housing resi-
dents have lost their lives due to carbon monoxide 
poisoning; 
(3) the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning 
occur immediately and can result in death in a mat-
ter of minutes; 
(4) carbon monoxide exposure can cause perma-
nent brain damage, life-threatening cardiac com-
plications, fetal death or miscarriage, and death, 
among other harmful health conditions; 
(5) carbon monoxide poisoning is especially 
dangerous for unborn babies, children, elderly indi-
viduals, and individuals with cardiovascular disease, 
among others with chronic health conditions; 
(6) the majority of the 4,600,000 families re-
ceiving Federal housing assistance are families with 
young children, elderly individuals, or individuals 
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with disabilities, making them especially vulnerable 
to carbon monoxide poisoning; 
(7) more than 400 people die and 50,000 addi-
tional people visit the emergency room annually as 
a result of carbon monoxide poisoning; 
(8) carbon monoxide poisoning is entirely pre-
ventable and early detection is possible with the use 
of carbon monoxide alarms; 
(9) the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion warns that carbon monoxide poisoning is en-
tirely preventable and recommends the installation 
of carbon monoxide alarms; 
(10) the Office of Lead Hazard Control and 
Healthy Homes of the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development recommends the installation of 
carbon monoxide alarms as a best practice to keep 
families and individuals safe and to protect health; 
and 
(11) in order to safeguard the health and well- 
being of tenants in federally assisted housing, the 
Federal Government should consider best practices 
for primary prevention of carbon monoxide-related 
incidents. 
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SEC. 3. CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS OR DETECTORS IN 
FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING. 
(a) PUBLIC HOUSING, TENANT-BASED ASSISTANCE, 
AND PROJECT-BASED ASSISTANCE.—The United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 3(a) (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)), by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS.—Each public 
housing agency shall ensure that carbon monoxide 
alarms or detectors are installed in each dwelling 
unit in public housing owned or operated by the 
public housing agency in a manner that meets or ex-
ceeds— 
‘‘(A) the standards described in chapters 9 
and 11 of the 2018 publication of the Inter-
national Fire Code, as published by the Inter-
national Code Council; or 
‘‘(B) any other standards as may be adopt-
ed by the Secretary, including any relevant up-
dates to the International Fire Code, through a 
notice published in the Federal Register.’’; and 
(2) in section 8 (42 U.S.C. 1437f)— 
(A) by inserting after subsection (i) the 
following: 
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‘‘(j) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS.—Each owner of a 
dwelling unit receiving project-based assistance under this 
section shall ensure that carbon monoxide alarms or detec-
tors are installed in the dwelling unit in a manner that 
meets or exceeds— 
‘‘(1) the standards described in chapters 9 and 
11 of the 2018 publication of the International Fire 
Code, as published by the International Code Coun-
cil; or 
‘‘(2) any other standards as may be adopted by 
the Secretary, including any relevant updates to the 
International Fire Code, through a notice published 
in the Federal Register.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (o), by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(21) 
CARBON
MONOXIDE
ALARMS.—Each 
dwelling unit receiving tenant-based assistance or 
project-based assistance under this subsection shall 
have carbon monoxide alarms or detectors installed 
in the dwelling unit in a manner that meets or ex-
ceeds— 
‘‘(A) the standards described in chapters 9 
and 11 of the 2018 publication of the Inter-
national Fire Code, as published by the Inter-
national Code Council; or 
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‘‘(B) any other standards as may be adopt-
ed by the Secretary, including any relevant up-
dates to the International Fire Code, through a 
notice published in the Federal Register.’’. 
(b) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE ELDERLY.— 
Section 202(j) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 
1701q(j)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS.—Each owner 
of a dwelling unit assisted under this section shall 
ensure that carbon monoxide alarms or detectors are 
installed in the dwelling unit in a manner that meets 
or exceeds— 
‘‘(A) the standards described in chapters 9 
and 11 of the 2018 publication of the Inter-
national Fire Code, as published by the Inter-
national Code Council; or 
‘‘(B) any other standards as may be adopt-
ed by the Secretary, including any relevant up-
dates to the International Fire Code, through a 
notice published in the Federal Register.’’. 
(c) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH DIS-
ABILITIES.—Section 811(j) of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na-
tional Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013(j)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(7) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS.—Each dwell-
ing unit assisted under this section shall contain in-
stalled carbon monoxide alarms or detectors that 
meet or exceed— 
‘‘(A) the standards described in chapters 9 
and 11 of the 2018 publication of the Inter-
national Fire Code, as published by the Inter-
national Code Council; or 
‘‘(B) any other standards as may be adopt-
ed by the Secretary, including any relevant up-
dates to the International Fire Code, through a 
notice published in the Federal Register.’’. 
(d) HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH 
AIDS.—Section 856 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12905) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(i) CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS.—Each dwelling 
unit assisted under this subtitle shall contain installed car-
bon monoxide alarms or detectors that meet or exceed— 
‘‘(1) the standards described in chapters 9 and 
11 of the 2018 publication of the International Fire 
Code, as published by the International Code Coun-
cil; or 
‘‘(2) any other standards as may be adopted by 
the Secretary, including any relevant updates to the 
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International Fire Code, through a notice published 
in the Federal Register.’’. 
(e) RURAL HOUSING.—Title V of the Housing Act 
of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 514 (42 U.S.C. 1484), by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) Housing and related facilities constructed with 
loans under this section shall contain installed carbon 
monoxide alarms or detectors that meet or exceed— 
‘‘(1) the standards described in chapters 9 and 
11 of the 2018 publication of the International Fire 
Code, as published by the International Code Coun-
cil; or 
‘‘(2) any other standards as may be adopted by 
the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, including any rel-
evant updates to the International Fire Code, 
through a notice published in the Federal Register.’’; 
and 
(2) in section 515 (42 U.S.C. 1485)— 
(A) in subsection (m), by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ 
before ‘‘The Secretary shall establish’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) Housing and related facilities rehabilitated or 
repaired with amounts received under a loan made or in-
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sured under this section shall contain installed carbon 
monoxide alarms or detectors that meet or exceed— 
‘‘(A) the standards described in chapters 9 and 
11 of the 2018 publication of the International Fire 
Code, as published by the International Code Coun-
cil; or 
‘‘(B) any other standards as may be adopted by 
the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, including any rel-
evant updates to the International Fire Code, 
through a notice published in the Federal Register.’’. 
(f) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall provide guidance to public hous-
ing agencies (as defined in section 3(b)(6) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6)) on 
how to educate tenants on health hazards in the home, 
including to carbon monoxide poisoning, lead poisoning, 
asthma induced by housing-related allergens, and other 
housing-related preventable outcomes, to help advance pri-
mary prevention and prevent future deaths and other 
harms. 
(g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsections (a) through (d) shall take effect on the date 
that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
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(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, 
$101,400,000 per year for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021, 
and 2022. 
(i) NO PREEMPTION.—Nothing in the amendments 
made by this section shall be construed to preempt or limit 
the applicability of any State or local law relating to the 
installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide alarms 
or detectors in housing that requires standards that are 
more stringent than the standards described in the amend-
ments made by this section. 
SEC. 4. STUDY ON INCLUSION OF CARBON MONOXIDE 
ALARMS OR DETECTORS IN OTHER UNITS. 
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 
in consultation with the Consumer Product Safety Com-
mission, shall conduct a study and issue a publicly avail-
able report on requiring carbon monoxide alarms or detec-
tors in federally assisted housing that is not covered in 
the amendments made by section 3. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 10, 
2019. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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