On December 17, 2015, the Senate unanimously approved legislation to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Senate had been considering its own legislation, S. 697, but ultimately did not vote on that bill. Instead, it replaced the text of the bill passed by the House of Representatives, H.R. 2576, on June 23, 2015, with the text of S. 697, then passed H.R. 2576 as amended. All that remains for final enactment of the legislation is a reconciliation of the version passed by the Senate with the version passed by the House. This reconciliation is underway.

For more information regarding the recent legislative activity, please see "TSCA Legislation Passes the Senate, Nears Final Passage." 

Legislation to amend TSCA, H.R. 2576, would impose a range of duties and deadlines on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, to a lesser degree, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). These tables summarize each of those duties and their corresponding deadlines.

Governmental Obligations Under H.R. 2576 - Senate Version

Table 1 outlines the governmental obligations that would be established under H.R. 2576 as passed by the Senate on December 17, 2015. It addresses the following topics:

• Organizational and administrative issues;
• Prioritization, safety assessments, safety determinations, and risk management;
• Active substances notification;
• Confidential business information; and
• Miscellaneous duties.

Governmental Obligations Under H.R. 2576 - House of Representatives Version

Table 2 outlines the governmental obligations that would be established under H.R. 2576 as passed by the House of Representatives on June 23, 2015. It addresses the following topics:

• Organizational and administrative issues;
• Risk evaluations, and regulating hazardous chemicals and mixtures;
• Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals; and
• Confidential business information.