TSCA REFORM NOW READY TO BE SIGNED INTO LAW, INHOFE PRAISES FINAL SENATE ACTION

 

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement praising the final Senate passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The legislation now goes to the president’s desk to be signed into law. 

 

“Congress has taken the final step to send the Lautenberg Act to be signed into law. This historic piece of environmental regulatory reform is a great example of the Republican-led Congress working for the American people by enacting meaningful and commonsense legislation. I want to thank my colleagues Senator David Vitter and Senator Tom Udall for working tirelessly to garner strong, broad bipartisan support, within Congress and with outside stakeholders, for this bill. I’d also like to thank Chairman Fred Upton and Congressman John Shimkus, as well as House leadership, for their work to unify both sides and move this legislation forward. 

 

“The Lautenberg Act has received unprecedented support from industry and manufacturers to environmentalist groups alike. The $8 billion chemical industry fuels our nation’s manufacturing sector and represents a huge facet of our economy.  This soon-to-be law will protect and support millions of domestic jobs and spur economic growth for decades to come by providing regulatory certainty to encourage new manufacturing investment here at home, on American soil. It will safeguard interstate commerce while also protecting public health; it will strengthen transparency and oversight – holding EPA accountable to Congress and the American people – while also protecting small business from bureaucratic hurdles and burdensome mandates. The Lautenberg Act is long overdue, as it is the first major environmental reform to be enacted in over a quarter century. I am proud of the work Republicans are doing to get Congress working again for the American people. Passage of this bill demonstrates that we can responsibly achieve regulatory reform, enact sensible environmental laws that protect the health and safety of all Americans, and simultaneously support job creation and economic opportunity here at home.”

 

Congressional action on reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) during the 114th Congress:

  • January 9, 2015 — Sen. Jim Inhofe announces TSCA reform as one of his top 5 priorities as Chairman of EPW in the 114th Congress
  • March 10, 2015 — Sens. David Vitter and Tom Udall reintroduce the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (S.697)
  • March 18, 2015 — The EPW Committee holds a legislative hearing on S.697.
  • April 28, 2015 — The EPW Committee marks up and passes S.697 by a vote of 15 to 5
  • May 27, 2015 — Reps. John Shimkus, Fred Upton, Frank Pallone, and Paul Tonko introduce the TSCA Modernization Act (H.R. 2576) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • June 23, 2015 — House Committee on Energy and Commerce reports H.R. 2576 to the floor and then passes the legislation out of the House by a 398 – 1 vote. 
  • July 16, 2015 — S.697 receives 52 cosponsors, a majority of the Senate
  • October 2, 2015 — S.697 receives a filibuster-proof number of cosponsors
  • October 6, 2015 — 150+ outside groups announce support for S. 697
  • December 17, 2015 — S.697 passes the Senate by a voice vote 
  • May 20, 2016 — Conference bill, merging policy priorities from S.697 and H.R.2576, posts on House Rules website as H.R. 2576, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act
  • May 24, 2016 — House debates and votes on final TSCA reform deal by a vote of 403 – 12.