The bipartisan Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety (VGB) Reauthorization Act, which aims to help decrease preventable drownings and suction entrapment, was recently reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, John Carter of Texas, and Donald Norcross of New Jersey.
Drownings and near-drownings in pools and spas remain the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4, with higher incidents of drowning deaths for American Indian and Black individuals.
“No work we do in Congress is more important than keeping our children healthy and safe. And the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act does that by saving countless lives over the years. So, it is critical that we continue this bipartisan, common-sense law, which this reauthorization does by expanding its life-saving impact,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Just this year in my home state we’ve seen over 60 drownings, which is more incidents than at this same time last year. But with education and added layers of protection we can keep more innocent children safe. This law does that by helping decrease drowning in pools and spas, a concern on every parent’s mind as the summer season and water activities pick up. Let’s keep our kids safe with sensible outreach, education, and precautions.”
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB), first authorized in 2008, is aimed at improving the safety of all pools and spas by increasing the layers of protection and promoting uninterrupted supervision to prevent child drowning and entrapment. The law has three principal elements, carried out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
- It requires every public pool in the U.S. to install safe drain covers that prevent suction entrapment.
- It initiates a grant program that incentivizes states, municipalities, and Indian Tribes to adopt their own pool and spa safety laws and support education efforts. These grants provide critical support for local officials to enforce their safety requirements and educate communities about drowning and entrapment dangers.
- It launches “Pool Safely,” a national public education campaign to raise awareness about drowning prevention.
The VGB Reauthorization Act will continue to carry out these primary functions as it builds on over a decade’s worth of expertise in proper execution of the programs through the CPSC.
“The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act has saved many lives since 2008 by helping to prevent drownings through stronger safety standards and public education,” said Carter. “Now, with summer in full swing and families spending more time at the pool, reauthorizing this law is more important than ever. We should all want our children to be safe around the pool, and this bill is a smart, bipartisan way to protect them. I thank my colleague Rep. Wasserman Schultz for her advocacy on this issue, and I hope my colleagues will support.”
“The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act is a perfect example of how sensible and sound policy can save lives,” said Alissa Magrum, executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. “Since the passage of the legislation, entrapment deaths in public pools have ceased and have been substantially reduced in private pool settings. This shows how well-designed legislation can have direct impacts on child safety and engineer our pool environments to be safer for all. The reauthorization not only ensures communities continue to be safe from this preventable tragedy, but also that water safety efforts will continue across the country to address the more than 4,000 fatal drownings the US experiences each year.”
“The core purpose of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance is to prioritize safety and health in pool and hot tub environments,” said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, president and CEO of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance. “We have been unwavering in our support for the reauthorization of the VGB Act, recognizing its significant impact on saving lives. PHTA is proud to play a role in the VGB Act through the development of two industry safety standards that establish stringent requirements for suction outlet fitting assemblies and suction entrapment avoidance. By reauthorizing this legislation, we will ensure a substantial reduction in fatal drownings—a cause that deserves universal backing.”