Sponsors (2)
The bill expands and sustains federal drowning-prevention efforts—broadening who can deliver education, targeting underserved communities, funding repairs, and requiring transparency—at the cost of modest federal spending, increased administrative burdens, and tighter eligibility and reporting rules that may exclude or deter some organizations and constrain state flexibility.
Children, youth, and communities in underserved/rural/high-drowning areas will get expanded drowning-prevention education and outreach through grant-funded programs prioritized for those locations.
The program is backed by dedicated federal funding ($2.5M/year for FY2026–2030), enabling sustained national campaigns, materials development, and CPSC staffing to support ongoing prevention efforts.
Qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits with pool-safety experience can receive grants/partner with the CPSC, expanding local delivery capacity and community outreach where government resources are limited; the CPSC may vet experience to help ensure quality of grantees.
Taxpayers will fund an authorized federal program cost ($2.5M/year FY2026–2030), increasing federal spending and potentially requiring offsets elsewhere.
Significant additional administrative workload for the CPSC and grantees (vetting nonprofits, reporting, materials development, campaign management) could divert staff time and resources away from other duties and program delivery.
Nonprofits without the statute's required "proven experience" or those operating where a State/Tribe has not enacted/enforced the statute may be excluded, disadvantaging newer or cross-jurisdictional organizations.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Makes qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits eligible for pool-safety grants, revises grant selection priorities and allowable uses, expands CPSC education audiences, reauthorizes $2.5M/yr FY2026–2030, and requires annual CPSC reports to Congress.
Official title: Reauthorize the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress December 11, 2025
Expands and reauthorizes the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety programs by adding qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations as eligible grant applicants, changing how grants are prioritized and awarded, broadening the CPSC education outreach to new audiences (including nonprofits and historically disadvantaged communities), authorizing recurring annual education funding through 2030, and requiring detailed annual reporting to Congress on grant applications, awards, uses, and program effectiveness. The bill adjusts eligibility requirements so nonprofit applicants must carry out activities in States or Tribes that have adopted the required statute, creates prioritized selection factors for awarding grants, and requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to evaluate and report on program outcomes and gaps.