HR 602

                                               PRINTER'S NO.    3842
             THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
      HOUSE RESOLUTION
         No. 602
                                         Session of
                                           2026
INTRODUCED BY CIRESI, HILL-EVANS, WAXMAN, VENKAT, HARKINS, HAMM,
   MALAGARI, GUZMAN, GALLAGHER, HADDOCK, HOHENSTEIN, SANCHEZ,
   McANDREW, RIVERA, McNEILL, HOWARD, NEILSON AND COOPER,
   AUGUST 25, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, AUGUST 27, 2026
                          A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of October 2026, as "Infant Safe Sleep
2    Month" in Pennsylvania.
3    WHEREAS, October is nationally recognized as "Infant Safe
4 Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month"
5 to raise awareness of evidence-based safe sleep practices and
6 reduce the incidence of sleep-related infant deaths; and
7    WHEREAS, Advances in medical research expanded the
8 understanding of sleep-related infant deaths beyond SIDS to
9 include other sleep-related causes, such as accidental
10 suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB), leading to broader
11 evidence-based safe sleep recommendations aimed at reducing
12 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID); and
13    WHEREAS, Organizations such as the Pennsylvania-based Cribs
14 for Kids have played a nationally recognized role in advancing
15 evidence-based infant safe sleep education and promoting October
16 as "Infant Safe Sleep and SIDS Awareness Month," helping shift
17 public awareness toward preventing sleep-related infant deaths;
1 and
2WHEREAS, Sleep-related infant deaths remain among the leading
3 causes of death for infants; and
4WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Health's 2025 Child
5 Death Review Annual Report found that unsafe sleep factors were
6 present in 86.8% of reviewed SUID cases, underscoring the
7 continued need for public education and awareness; and
8WHEREAS, The same report found that more than half of
9 reviewed SUID deaths occurred in an adult bed rather than in a
10 crib, bassinet or other recommended infant sleep space; and
11WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has taken important steps to
12 protect infants through Act 73 of 2010, which requires
13 hospitals, birth centers and birth providers to provide parents
14 and caregivers with evidence-based infant safe sleep education
15 before newborns are discharged; and
16WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends
17 that infants be placed alone, on their backs, in a crib,
18 bassinet or play yard with a firm mattress and fitted sheet,
19 free of blankets, pillows, toys and other soft objects, for
20 every sleep; and
21WHEREAS, Increasing awareness of safe sleep recommendations
22 through education and outreach can help reduce preventable
23 infant deaths and provide parents and caregivers with the
24 information needed to create safe sleep environments for
25 infants; therefore be it
26RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
27 month of October 2026 as "Infant Safe Sleep Month" in
28 Pennsylvania; and be it further
29RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
30 Pennsylvania Department of Health, in collaboration with
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1 hospitals, health care providers, community organizations and
2 other stakeholders, to promote evidence-based infant safe sleep
3 practices through year-round public awareness and educational
4 initiatives, including public messaging through print, digital,
5 social media and other outreach platforms to help prevent sleep-
6 related infant deaths; and be it further
7    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
8 Pennsylvania Department of Health to work with organizations,
9 including Pennsylvania-based Cribs for Kids, to develop and
10 distribute evidence-based infant safe sleep educational
11 resources for hospitals, birthing facilities, health care
12 providers and community organizations, and to make such
13 materials available in English and Spanish, with consideration
14 given to other commonly spoken languages in this Commonwealth.
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