US Federal Senate Bill SB389

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/29/25
• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/4/25
• Report Pass: 3/12/25

Caption

Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act

Summary

SB 389, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act, would direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to turn three existing voluntary safety standards into binding federal consumer product safety standards for certain lithium-ion battery products used in light electric vehicles, e-bikes, and personal e-mobility devices. Specifically, within 180 days of enactment, the CPSC would be required to adopt ANSI/CAN/UL 2271, 2849, and 2272 as final standards, but only as applied to consumer products under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The bill also creates a mechanism for future updates to those standards. If the underlying UL standards are revised after enactment, the revising organization must notify the CPSC, and the revised standard would automatically become a federal consumer product safety standard 180 days later unless the CPSC objects within 90 days and determines the revision does not improve safety. In effect, the bill would make federal safety requirements for these battery systems track the private standards process more closely than under current law.

Impact

SB 389 would expand federal consumer product safety regulation by converting selected industry standards into enforceable CPSC rules for lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility products. It would affect manufacturers, importers, distributors, and sellers of e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar devices by requiring compliance with the specified UL standards and any future revisions that take effect under the bill’s automatic-update process. The bill also requires the CPSC to report to Congress within five years on fires, explosions, and other hazards involving lithium-ion batteries in micromobility products, including information about product models, compliance status, and manufacturers where known.

Sentiment

The available context suggests generally favorable bipartisan support for the bill. It was introduced by Senators Gillibrand, Blackburn, Fischer, and Schumer, indicating cross-party sponsorship, and it was reported by the Senate Commerce Committee with an amendment rather than rejected. No committee transcript or recorded vote is provided, but the reporting action and bipartisan sponsorship point to a broadly supportive posture focused on consumer safety and hazard reduction.

Contention

The main policy issue appears to be how quickly and how automatically federal law should incorporate private technical standards. Supporters likely view the bill as a practical way to reduce fires and other battery hazards in e-bikes and other micromobility devices, while preserving CPSC oversight. Potential concerns may center on the automatic adoption of future UL revisions, the delegation of standard-setting influence to a private standards organization, and whether the standards should apply only to consumer products. The bill text itself addresses one possible concern by requiring the CPSC to limit the standards’ scope to consumer products as defined in existing law.