Dec 14, 2007 5:14 pm US/Central
Senate Passes Klobuchar Pool Safety Legislation
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
The Senate has passed legislation aimed at improving pool safety, following the injury of a 6-year-old Minnesota girl at a wading pool back in June.
The legislation, which would ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards, was included in a larger energy bill which the Senate approved Thursday night.
The pool bill includes an amendment by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., which makes the restrictions apply not only to new pools, but existing public pools, such as those at fitness centers and apartment complexes. Another Klobuchar amendment requires that public pools include technology to shut off suction when a drain is blocked.
On June 29, Abigail Taylor of Edina sat over an open drain hole in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club and had part of her intestinal tract torn out by the drain's powerful suction. She was hospitalized for weeks, and is expected to need a feeding tube for the rest of her life.
The family's attorney, Robert Bennett, has said that the girl faces a small intestine transplant that will keep her hospitalized for six months, and that her lifetime medical expenses could total $30 million.
"This little girl's courage has now become an inspiration for change in Washington," said Klobuchar, adding, "An accident can change someone's life forever. Parents shouldn't have to worry about their children getting stuck in a drain when they go to the local pool."
Abigail's father, Scott Taylor, said the family is excited about the bill's passage.
"I told my daughter Abigail about it last night after talking with Senator Klobuchar," he said. "For the first time in a long time, I got her to smile from ear to ear. She is the reason we have spent so much time and effort in getting this passed."
A companion bill by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., passed the House last month. The two bills are similar but not identical, and the House is expected to take up the Senate version next week as part of the energy bill, Wasserman Schultz' office said.
"Since before I was elected to Congress, developing national comprehensive pool and spa safety legislation has been one of my top priorities," she said.
Klobuchar said that similar legislation has been pending in Congress for years, but the bill picked up momentum quickly this year after Abigail's injury.
"One of the proudest moments I've had in the Senate so far was talking to Scott Taylor last night and telling him the bill has passed," Klobuchar said.
The bill, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, is named for the 7-year-old granddaughter of James Baker, the former secretary of state. The girl drowned at a graduation party in 2002, when the suction from a drain pinned her.
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