House Passes Bill Creating Grant Program to Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Homes

House Passes Bill Creating Grant Program to Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Homes

The bill’s passage, which would give grants to elderly and low-income residents, came after the House of Representatives approved a bill that requires carbon monoxide detectors in public housing.

In its second recent action to address carbon monoxide poisoning, the House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would create a new grant program to install carbon monoxide alarms in the homes of elderly and low-income people as well as schools and other public buildings.

The Zachary and Nicholas Burt Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act would also provide incentives for states to pass laws requiring carbon monoxide alarms in residences. The bill is named after two Minnesota brothers who died from poisoning in 1995. Their parents have been advocating for Congressional action on the issue for over two decades.

“As a mother, I know there is nothing more important than keeping our children and loved ones safe,” said Rep. Ann Kuster, a Democrat from New Hampshire who introduced the bill with Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia. “This legislation will help save lives by combatting deadly yet entirely preventable carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Earlier this month, the House also approved a bill requiring detectors in public housing after more than a dozen residents died from poisoning in the last 16 years. There are over 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency room visits caused by carbon monoxide poisoning each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Companion measures for the public housing and grant program bills have already been introduced in the Senate. During her remarks on the bill, Kuster said the legislation is proof that Congress can work together to find common ground during divisive times.

“I’m thrilled to see this commonsense measure pass the House and I urge the Senate to bring it swiftly to a vote and protect our most vulnerable citizens,” Kuster said in a statement.

Kuster’s bill was supported by the Security Industry Association, which represents more than 1,000 companies specializing in safety and security technology solutions. Those companies include manufacturers and installers of carbon monoxide alarms and detection devices, the SIA said in a press release.

 

"Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Kuster, this bipartisan legislation provides much-needed resources to states seeking funding relief for carbon monoxide detector installation," SIA CEO Don Erickson said in a statement. "Carbon monoxide detectors help saves lives – we commend the passage of H.R. 1618 and hope the Senate takes swift action to pass this critical legislation."

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.