HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13

BY  COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE

(SUCCESSOR TO HCR 9)

A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States Congress to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

   WHEREAS, consumers in the United States deserve to have confidence that the products they buy, when used for their intended purposes, are safe; and
   WHEREAS, a federal chemical management program should place protecting the public health, including children’s health, as its highest priority and should include strict government oversight; and
   WHEREAS, a federal chemical management program should preserve the role of the United States as the world’s leading innovator and employer in the manufacture, processing, distribution, and use of chemicals; and
   WHEREAS, the current federal chemical management law, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is now nearly 35 years old; and
   WHEREAS, since the enactment of the federal law, our ability to understand the impact chemicals have on the human body and the environment has advanced significantly; and
   WHEREAS, those advancements in science and technology need to be integrated into the federal chemical management program; and
   WHEREAS, momentum for modernization of the federal chemical regulatory system is growing in the Congress of the United States; and
   WHEREAS, a robust federal chemical management system will obviate the need for state government to adopt different, and at times conflicting, state regulatory programs that have the potential for negative impacts on the national economy; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE SENATE CONCURRING, That the Iowa General Assembly encourages the 112th Congress of the United States to enact federal legislation to modernize the TSCA to strengthen chemical management policy; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should ensure that chemicals are safe for their intended use; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should require the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to systematically prioritize chemicals for the purpose of assessing their safe use; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should require the EPA to act expeditiously and efficiently in assessing the safe use of chemicals; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should require companies that manufacture, import, process, distribute, or use chemicals to provide the EPA with the relevant information to the extent necessary for the EPA to make safe use determinations; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should assure that the potential risks to children from exposures to chemicals are considered in the assessment of safe use; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should empower the EPA to impose a range of risk management controls to ensure that chemicals are safe for their intended use; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should encourage companies and the EPA to work together to enhance public access to chemical health and safety information; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should require that the EPA rely on scientifically valid data and information, regardless of its source, including data and information reflecting modern advances in science and technology; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should enable the EPA to have the staff, resources, and regulatory tools it needs to ensure the safety of chemicals; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms should ensure that the TSCA remains a vehicle to promote and encourage technological innovation and the maintenance of a globally competitive industry in the United States; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate shall forward copies of this resolution to all members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation.