The U.S. Senate passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576) by a voice vote on June 7, 2016.  This bill modernizes the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the federal chemical control law. In particular, it expands how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates chemicals by requiring the Agency to establish standards for chemicals so that they do not present unreasonable risks of injury to health or environment. Currently, under TSCA, EPA is required to provide adequate protection against those risks using the least burdensome requirements. The bill also includes protections for confidential business information and preemption of state laws.

For more details on the bill, see the article, House Passes TSCA Reform H.R. 2567; Senate Vote Slated for Later this Week.