TSCA Reform Bill Passes Senate

After years of stalled efforts, an historic moment quietly occurred yesterday, with the Senate’s passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576).  The Senate passed this bill, which modernizes the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the federal chemical control law, in an evening voice vote on June 7, 2016.  It appears that the Senate passed the bill without amendment to the House bill, following removal of Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) block to allow more time to consider the bill’s preemption and criminal penalty provisions.  The bill will be sent to the White House, where it is expected to be signed into law as early as this week, following the Executive Office’s May 23, 2016 statement of support for the bill.