YOUTH POISONING PROTECTION ACT

On 2025-04-28, Representative Mike Carey (R-OH-15) delivered a floor speech titled "YOUTH POISONING PROTECTION ACT" in the House.

YOUTH POISONING PROTECTION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1642-H1644] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1500 YOUTH POISONING PROTECTION ACT Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1442) a bill to ban the sale of products with a high concentration of sodium nitrate to individuals, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1442 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This title may be cited as the ``Youth Poisoning Protection Act''. SEC. 2. BANNING OF PRODUCTS CONTAINING A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF SODIUM NITRITE. (a) In General.--Any consumer product containing a high concentration of sodium nitrite shall be considered to be a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057). (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to-- (1) prohibit any commercial or industrial purpose in which high concentration sodium nitrite is not customarily produced or distributed for sale to, or use or consumption by, or enjoyment of, a consumer; and (2) apply to high concentration sodium nitrite that meets the definition of a drug, device, or cosmetic (as such terms are defined in subsections (g), (h), and (i) of section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321(g), (h), and (i))), or food (as defined in section 201(f) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 321(f))), including poultry and poultry products (as such terms are defined in subsections (e) and (f) of section 4 of the Poultry [[Page H1643]] Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 453(e)and (f))), meat and meat food products (as such terms are defined in section 1(j) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601(j))), and eggs and egg products (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1033)). (c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section: (1) Consumer product.--The term ``consumer product'' has the meaning given that term under section 3(a)(5) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5)). (2) High concentration of sodium nitrite.--The term ``high concentration of sodium nitrite'' means a concentration of 10 or more percent by weight of sodium nitrite. (d) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Taylor). Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. General Leave Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida? There was no objection. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, led by Representative Trahan. Since 2017, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in self-poisoning cases involving sodium nitrite, many of which stem from easy online access to high-concentration products. This bill aims to confront that threat by implementing a narrowly focused prohibition on the sale of consumer products containing sodium nitrite at concentrations above 10 percent. I thank Representative Trahan for her strong bipartisan leadership on this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 1442, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act. Sodium nitrite is a highly toxic substance. Ingesting even a small amount is likely to be fatal. Unfortunately, online forums are providing detailed instructions and real-time guidance on how to acquire and use this substance to take their own lives. Sadly, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this has led to a sharp increase in self-poisoning using sodium nitrite. By banning the sale of high-concentrate sodium nitrite to consumers, H.R. 1442 will make it less accessible to people contemplating suicide. Experts have made it clear that there is no good reason for consumers to purchase sodium nitrite at such high concentrations. I commend Representative Trahan for her leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan), the sponsor of the bill. Mrs. TRAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, as well as his leadership and that of Chair Bilirakis on this important issue. Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Youth Poisoning Protection Act alongside Representative Mike Carey because we are facing an urgent and deeply troubling trend, the promotion of sodium nitrite, a toxic chemical, as a method to die by suicide. In 2022, The New York Times revealed the existence of online suicide forums that don't just discuss suicide, they promote it. Anonymous users on these platforms encourage vulnerable children and young adults to end their lives, and they often suggest using this chemical to do it. Now, most Americans have never heard of sodium nitrite, but for families who have lost loved ones, it is something they will never forget. In lower concentrations, it is a chemical used safely to cure meats and fish, but in higher concentrations it is deadly. For the few who have survived attempts to end their lives using sodium nitrite, they report agonizing pain as the chemical deprives their body of oxygen. After learning how easy it is to purchase high-concentration sodium nitrite, my office worked with retailers to limit access to businesses with a proven use for the chemical, but some sites still openly market it as part of a so-called suicide kit to people in crisis. There is no Federal law that allows us to stop this. That is where this bipartisan legislation comes in. The Youth Poisoning Protection Act would restrict sales of sodium nitrite above 10 percent concentration to businesses with verified industrial or commercial use. That threshold is based on expert recommendations for safe handling and won't interfere with legitimate industries like food processing. This bill is focused and reasonable. It targets bad actors who are exploiting a loophole to profit off tragedy, and it does so without burdening responsible businesses. That is why, last Congress, this bill passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously before passing it here on the floor with overwhelming support. Now we must finish the job. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Youth Poisoning Protection Act. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close after Mr. Pallone. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, as you can see, a lot of these consumer protection bills that we are considering today are actually very important, as is this. I urge bipartisan support and yield back the balance of my time. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill. Again, I commend Representatives Trahan and Carey. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. CAREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that will prevent deadly chemicals from falling into the hands of children, our Youth Poisoning Protection Act. It's a parent's worst nightmare: a nameless, faceless stranger over the internet teaching your child how to take their own life, and your child, in a moment of vulnerability, listening to them. That's exactly what happened to Kristine Jonsson, a vibrant sixteen- year-old from Hilliard, Ohio whose life was cut tragically short in September 2020. Kristine was open with her parents about her mental health struggles, but it was behind closed doors on an internet forum that she learned about sodium nitrite. With the coaching of sinister strangers online, Kristine was able to purchase sodium nitrite on Amazon and get it nondescriptly shipped to her front door, all under her parents' noses. Sodium nitrite is a chemical used in the preservation of meat and fish, which in high concentrations is deadly if ingested. In fact, one spoonful of the chemical is one hundred times more lethal than other poisons. High concentrations of some chemicals can be harmful if used improperly, which is why they are usually highly regulated or banned for sale to consumers. Thanks to online forums like the one Kristine saw, the number of suicide deaths using sodium nitrite is rising. In recent years, the share of sodium nitrite usage as a method of self-poisoning has grown nine times over. By passing this bill, we can save lives. The Youth Poisoning Protection Act would prevent the commercial sale of highly-concentrated sodium nitrite, so it can never fall into the hands of a vulnerable young person. With the support of my colleagues and friends across the aisle, we are one step closer to preventing these senseless tragedies in our communities. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1442, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ay

Referenced legislation: HR1442, HR1442