SMOKE ALARM BATTERY STANDARD ACT H.B. 4382:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4382 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Mike Mueller
House Committee: Regulatory Reform
Senate Committee: Economic and Small Business Development
CONTENT
The bill would enact the "Smoke Alarm Battery Standard Act" to do the following:
-- Prohibit a person, beginning April 1, 2022, from distributing, selling, offering for sale, or importing a smoke alarm device powered by a replaceable and removeable battery.
-- Require, beginning 18 months after the Act's effective date, a smoke alarm device that was distributed, sold, offered for sale, or imported to be powered for at least 10 years by a nonremovable and nonreplaceable battery or another power source that used new technology.
-- Specify that the battery and power source requirements would not apply to the devices specified in the Act.
Beginning April 1, 2022, and except as otherwise provided below, the proposed Act would prohibit a person from distributing, selling, offering for sale, or importing a smoke alarm device powered by a replaceable and removable battery. Beginning 18 months after the Act's effective date, a smoke alarm device that was distributed, sold, offered for sale, or imported would have to be powered for at least 10 years by a nonremovable and nonreplaceable battery or another power source that used new technology. ("Person" would mean an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or other legal entity.)
The Act's battery and power source requirements would not apply to any of the following devices:
-- A fire alarm, smoke detector, or smoke alarm that received power from a building's electrical system or was connected electronically as part of a centrally monitored or supervised alarm system.
-- A fire alarm, smoke detector, or smoke alarm with an ancillary component that a) received power from a building's electrical system, or b) was connected electronically as part of a centrally monitored or supervised alarm system.
-- Any other smoke alarm device with equivalent characteristics to a device described above and below, as determined by rules promulgated under the Act.
In addition, the Act's battery and power source requirements would not apply to a fire alarm, smoke detector, or smoke alarm that used, or that had an ancillary component that used, a low-power radio frequency wireless communication signal or wi-fi or other wireless local area networking capability to send and receive notifications to and from the internet. The Act would
allow the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, in consultation with the State Fire Marshal, to promulgate rules to implement this provision.
Legislative Analyst: Tyler VanHuyse
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would not have a significant fiscal impact on State or local units of government. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs could undertake additional work related to violations of the new standards, but this activity likely would be covered by existing appropriations.
Fiscal Analyst: Elizabeth Raczkowski
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.