Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act

Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act
Other short titles
  • TSCA Modernization Act of 2015
  • Rural Healthcare Connectivity Act of 2016
Long titleAn Act to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act, and for other purposes.
NicknamesChemical Safety Improvement Act of 2016
Enacted bythe 114th United States Congress
EffectiveDecember 18, 2016
Citations
Public law114-182
Statutes at Large130 Stat. 448
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 2576 by John Shimkus (R–IL–15) on May 26, 2015
  • Committee consideration by House Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Passed the House on June 23, 2015 (398-1 Roll call vote 378, via Clerk.House.gov)
  • Passed the Senate on December 17, 2015 (Passed voice vote) with amendment
  • House agreed to Senate amendment on May 24, 2016 (403-12 Roll call vote 238, via Clerk.House.gov) with further amendment
  • Senate agreed to House amendment on June 7, 2016 (Agreed voice vote)
  • Signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 22, 2016

The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act is a law passed by the 114th United States Congress and signed into law by US President Barack Obama in 2016. Administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates the introduction of new or already existing chemicals, the Act amends and updates the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that went into force in 1976.

History

Senators David Vitter and Frank Lautenberg introduced a TSCA reform bill as S. 1009[1] on May 22, 2013, co-sponsored by a number of other senators at the United States House Energy Subcommittee on Environment and Economy.[2] After Senator Lautenberg died, Senator Tom Udall sponsored Senate bill 697 in 2015, to amend and re-authorize TSCA, called the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.[3][4] The House then passed H.R.2576, the TSCA Modernization Act of 2015, and was referred to the Senate.[5]

Congress passed a reconciled version of the reform bill with bipartisan support in June 2016. On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law.[6] Lawmakers and industry groups were largely supportive of the new law, while environmental advocates offered more mixed reactions.[7]

Changes to TSCA

TSCA as reformed by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century ActTSCA pre-reform
Mandatory duty on EPA to evaluate existing chemicals with clear and enforceable deadlinesNo duty to review, no deadlines for action
Chemicals assessed against a risk-based safety standardRisk-benefit balancing standard
Unreasonable risks identified in the risk evaluation must be eliminatedSignificant risks might not be addressed due to cost/benefit balancing and no mandate to act
Expanded authority to more quickly require development of chemical information when neededTesting on existing chemicals required lengthy rulemaking

References

  1. ↑ S. 1009 at Congress.gov
  2. ↑ To reauthorize and modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act, and for other purposes, S.B. No. 1009 March 22, 2013.
  3. ↑ "All Bill Information (Except Text) for S.697 - Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act". congress.gov. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Vitter takes his Chemical Safety bill to House committee hearing". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
  5. ↑ "H.R.2576 - TSCA Modernization Act of 2015". Library of Congress. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Barack Obama: "Remarks on Signing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act," June 22, 2016". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
  7. ↑ "The president just signed a law that affects nearly every product you use". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
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