Tyler’s Law
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4340
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Commerce
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-10: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2025-07-30T23:06:04Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
This bill, titled "Tyler's Law," aims to improve child safety by mandating reports to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about incidents where a child's death or serious injury is linked to children's products (like toys or clothing) or durable infant or toddler products (like cribs or strollers). The goal is to help the CPSC gather better data to identify and address product hazards.
Key Provisions
- Hospital Reporting Requirements:
- Hospitals must submit written notices to the CPSC for any incident involving a child's death or serious injury that they treat, if the hospital determines the incident is associated with a qualifying product.
- Reports must include details such as the incident date and location, product description (with a specific "product code" from CPSC's coding system), child's age, gender, race, ethnicity, affected body parts, diagnoses, treatment provided (e.g., released, admitted, or died), any role of alcohol, drugs, or fire, and related hospital reports.
- Reports are due within 7 days of the hospital's determination.
- Medical Examiner and Coroner Office Reporting Requirements:
- These offices must report child deaths they investigate if linked to a qualifying product.
- Reports include incident details (date, location, cause of death, medical treatment), product description, child's demographics, any role of alcohol, drugs, or fire, and related office reports.
- Reports are due within 7 days of the office's determination.
- Enforcement Mechanisms:
- For hospitals: Non-compliance becomes a condition for participating in Medicare (a federal health insurance program for seniors and others), meaning they could lose eligibility if they fail to report.
- For medical examiner and coroner offices: Non-compliance makes them ineligible for federal grants under the Department of Justice's Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program in the following year.
- Definitions:
- "Child" means anyone under 18 years old.
- "Children's product" refers to items designed or intended for children under 12 (as defined in existing consumer safety law).
- "Durable infant or toddler product" includes long-lasting items like high chairs or playpens (as defined in a 2008 safety law).
- "Hospital" follows the standard definition under Medicare law.
- "Product code" is the CPSC's standardized code for categorizing products in its injury reporting system.
- Effective Date: Applies to incidents occurring 180 days after the bill's enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Amends the Social Security Act (which governs Medicare) by adding a new requirement (subparagraph Z) that ties hospital Medicare participation to compliance with these reporting rules. This is a new linkage between healthcare funding and product safety reporting.
- Introduces mandatory reporting obligations for hospitals, medical examiners, and coroners that do not currently exist under consumer product safety laws. Previously, such data collection relied on voluntary or less structured submissions to the CPSC's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).
- Establishes penalties via funding ineligibility for non-compliant coroner offices, creating a new enforcement tool through Department of Justice grants.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The CPSC gains more timely and detailed data on child injuries and deaths, potentially improving its ability to issue recalls, set safety standards, or investigate products. Hospitals and coroner offices face added administrative burdens, including training and record-keeping, which could increase operational costs. The Department of Justice may see shifts in grant distributions.
- On Citizens: Families with children could benefit from enhanced product safety measures, reducing risks from hazardous items. However, it may indirectly raise healthcare or product costs if manufacturers pass on compliance expenses.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic reporting and U.S. product safety regulations.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Hospitals: Directly required to report and face Medicare eligibility risks.
- Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices: Must report deaths and risk losing federal grants.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Primary beneficiary, receiving expanded data for oversight.
- Children and Families: Indirectly protected through better hazard identification.
- Product Manufacturers and Retailers: May face increased scrutiny, recalls, or regulatory changes based on reported incidents.
- Federal Agencies: Including the Department of Health and Human Services (via Medicare) and Department of Justice (via grants).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal Implications: Creates enforceable reporting mandates with clear timelines and content requirements, potentially leading to more litigation if disputes arise over "associations" between incidents and products. The use of existing definitions from prior laws ensures consistency but may require updates to CPSC coding systems.
- Constitutional Implications: None significant identified; the bill operates within Congress's authority to regulate consumer safety and interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause. It does not infringe on privacy rights, as reports are limited to incident details without mandating personal identifiers beyond demographics.
- Political Implications: Named "Tyler's Law," suggesting inspiration from a specific child safety incident, which could build bipartisan support around child protection. It expands federal oversight into healthcare and death investigations, potentially sparking debates on administrative burdens versus public safety benefits.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-10: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-07-10: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-07-10: Introduced in House
- 2025-07-10: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Tyler’s Law — issued 2025-07-10 — PDF (7 pages)