Bill Text: IA SCR5 | 2011-2012 | 84th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A concurrent resolution urging the United States Congress to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-12-31 - END OF 2011 ACTIONS [SCR5 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2011-SCR5-Introduced.html
Senate
Concurrent
Resolution
5
-
Introduced
SENATE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
NO.
5
BY
BOLKCOM
A
Concurrent
Resolution
urging
the
United
States
1
Congress
to
modernize
the
Toxic
Substances
Control
2
Act
of
1976.
3
WHEREAS,
children
and
developing
fetuses
are
4
uniquely
vulnerable
to
the
health
threats
of
toxic
5
chemicals
and
early-life
chemical
exposures
have
been
6
linked
to
chronic
disease
later
in
life;
and
7
WHEREAS,
a
growing
body
of
peer-reviewed
scientific
8
evidence
links
exposure
to
toxic
chemicals
to
many
9
diseases
and
health
conditions
that
are
rising
in
10
incidence
including
childhood
cancers,
prostate
cancer,
11
breast
cancer,
learning
and
developmental
disabilities,
12
infertility,
and
obesity;
and
13
WHEREAS,
the
President’s
Cancer
Panel
report
14
released
in
May
2010
stated
“the
true
burden
of
15
environmentally
induced
cancers
has
been
grossly
16
underestimated”
and
advised
the
President
“to
use
17
the
power
of
your
office
to
remove
the
carcinogens
18
and
other
toxins
from
our
food,
water,
and
air
that
19
needlessly
increase
health
care
costs,
cripple
20
our
nation’s
productivity,
and
devastate
American
21
lives”;
and
22
WHEREAS,
workers
in
a
range
of
industries
are
23
exposed
to
toxic
chemicals
which
pose
threats
to
24
their
health,
increasing
worker
absenteeism,
workers’
25
compensation
claims,
and
health
care
costs
that
burden
26
the
economy;
and
27
WHEREAS,
a
recent
national
poll
found
that
78
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5
percent
of
likely
American
voters
were
seriously
1
concerned
about
the
threat
to
children’s
health
from
2
exposure
to
toxic
chemicals
in
day-to-day
life;
and
3
WHEREAS,
states
bear
an
undue
burden
from
4
toxic
chemicals,
including
health
care
costs
and
5
environmental
damages,
disadvantaging
businesses
that
6
lack
information
on
chemicals
in
their
supply
chain
and
7
increasing
demands
for
state
regulation;
and
8
WHEREAS,
the
primary
governing
federal
statute,
9
the
Toxic
Substances
Control
Act
of
1976
(TSCA),
was
10
intended
to
authorize
the
United
States
Environmental
11
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
to
protect
public
health
and
12
the
environment
from
toxic
chemicals;
and
13
WHEREAS,
when
TSCA
was
passed
about
62,000
14
chemicals
in
commerce
were
grandfathered
in
without
any
15
required
testing
for
health
and
safety
hazards
or
any
16
restrictions
on
usage;
and
17
WHEREAS,
in
the
35
years
since
TSCA
passed,
the
EPA
18
has
required
chemical
companies
to
test
only
about
200
19
of
those
chemicals
for
health
hazards
and
has
issued
20
partial
restrictions
on
only
five
chemicals;
and
21
WHEREAS,
TSCA
has
been
widely
recognized
as
22
ineffective
and
obsolete
due
to
legal
and
procedural
23
hurdles
that
prevent
the
EPA
from
taking
quick
and
24
effective
regulatory
action
to
protect
the
public
25
against
well-known
chemical
threats;
and
26
WHEREAS,
in
January
2009,
the
United
States
General
27
Accounting
Office
added
the
EPA’s
regulatory
program
28
for
assessing
and
controlling
toxic
chemicals
to
its
29
list
of
high-risk
government
programs
that
are
not
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working
as
intended,
finding
that
the
EPA
has
been
1
unable
to
complete
assessments
even
of
chemicals
of
2
highest
concern;
that
the
EPA
requires
additional
3
authority
to
obtain
health
and
human
safety
information
4
from
the
chemical
industry
and
to
shift
more
of
the
5
burden
to
chemical
companies
to
demonstrate
the
safety
6
of
their
products;
and
that
the
TSCA
does
not
provide
7
sufficient
chemical
safety
data
for
public
use
by
8
consumers,
businesses,
and
workers,
and
fails
to
create
9
incentives
to
develop
safer
alternatives;
and
10
WHEREAS,
the
National
Conference
of
State
11
Legislatures
unanimously
adopted
a
resolution
in
July
12
2009
that
articulated
principles
for
TSCA
reform
and
13
called
on
Congress
to
act
to
update
the
law;
and
14
WHEREAS,
ten
states
have
come
together
to
launch
15
the
Interstate
Chemicals
Clearinghouse
to
coordinate
16
state
chemical
information
management
programs,
and
a
17
coalition
of
13
states
issued
guiding
principles
for
18
TSCA
reform;
and
19
WHEREAS,
71
state
laws
on
chemical
safety
have
been
20
enacted
and
signed
into
law
in
18
states
with
broad
21
bipartisan
support
over
the
last
eight
years;
and
22
WHEREAS,
state
policy
leadership
on
chemical
23
management,
although
outstanding,
cannot
substitute
for
24
Congressional
leadership
to
reform
TSCA,
a
reform
which
25
all
parties
agree
is
urgently
needed;
and
26
WHEREAS,
TSCA
is
the
only
major
federal
27
environmental
statute
that
has
never
been
updated
or
28
reauthorized;
and
29
WHEREAS,
legislation
to
substantially
reform
TSCA
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was
introduced
during
the
109th
Congress
in
2005,
the
1
110th
Congress
in
2008,
and
again
in
the
111th
Congress
2
in
2010;
NOW
THEREFORE,
3
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
SENATE,
THE
HOUSE
OF
4
REPRESENTATIVES
CONCURRING,
That
the
Iowa
General
5
Assembly
encourages
the
112th
Congress
to
enact
6
federal
legislation
to
modernize
the
TSCA
to
strengthen
7
chemicals
management
through
policy
reforms;
and
8
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
9
should
require
chemical
manufacturers
to
prove
10
that
all
existing
and
new
chemicals
are
not
harmful
11
to
human
health,
and
provide
essential
health
and
12
safety
information
on
chemicals
to
inform
the
market,
13
consumers,
and
general
public;
and
14
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
15
should
require
immediate
action
to
reduce
or
16
eliminate
the
worst
chemicals,
including
persistent,
17
bioaccumulative,
and
toxic
chemicals
and
other
18
priority
toxics
to
which
there
is
already
widespread
19
exposure;
and
20
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
21
should
preserve
the
authority
of
state
and
tribal
22
governments
to
operate
chemicals
management
programs
23
that
are
more
protective
than
the
federal
programs;
and
24
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
25
should
establish
health
safety
standards
for
chemicals
26
that
rely
on
the
best
available
science
to
protect
27
the
most
vulnerable
among
us,
such
as
children
and
28
developing
fetuses;
and
29
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
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should
reward
innovation
by
fast-tracking
approval
of
1
new,
demonstratively
safer
chemicals,
and
invest
in
2
green
chemistry
research
and
workforce
development
to
3
boost
American
business
and
spur
jobs
making
safer
4
alternatives;
and
5
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
policy
reforms
6
should
promote
environmental
justice
by
developing
7
action
plans
to
reduce
disproportionate
exposure
to
8
toxic
chemicals
in
hot
spot
communities;
and
9
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
Chief
Clerk
of
the
10
House
and
the
Secretary
of
the
Senate
shall
forward
11
copies
of
this
resolution
to
all
members
of
Iowa’s
12
Congressional
delegation.
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