Description:
S. 3232 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to examine voluntary safety standards for clothing storage units and issue a standard to protect children from tip-over-related death or injury. Based on information provided by the CPSC, CBO estimates that costs associated with enforcing the safety standard would total less than $1 million over the 2023-2027 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. S. 3232 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by requiring manufacturers of clothing storage units to conduct safety and stability tests in compliance with a safety standard to be issued by CPSC. According to information from the furniture manufacturing industry, safety and stability tests are conducted under an existing voluntary standard. The bill directs CPSC to adopt the voluntary standard if it meets the requirements established under the bill. Because pending revisions to the voluntary standard would satisfy that requirement, CBO expects that most covered manufacturers would comply voluntarily with the new standard. Therefore, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would not exceed the annual private-sector threshold established in UMRA ($184 million in 2022, adjusted annually for inflation).
