The House Throws Its Hat Into the TSCA Reform Ring with Chemicals in Commerce Act

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are poised to enter the fray in the debate over reforming one of the nation's most overlooked environmental laws, the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The House Discussion Draft of the yet-to-be introduced bill (to be titled the "Chemicals in Commerce Act" or "CICA") is purported to address various concerns raised by certain states, trial attorneys, and environmental groups regarding the bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate in 2013 (S. 1009-the "Chemical Safety Improvement Act"). However, the bill's principal author is already taking heat for issuing a draft that does not go far enough to appease environmental activists.

This Advisory analyzes the House Discussion Draft in comparison to the current law and S. 1009, while highlighting the draft bill's most notable provisions. The Advisory enables the reader to quickly gain an insider's understanding of what to anticipate in future hearings and with the bill's expected official introduction this Spring.