US Congress House Bill 4993 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: Introduced on June 26 2014 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2014-07-21 - Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Pending: House Subcommittee on the Constitution And Civil Justice Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to preempt a state statute of repose for actions brought under state law for personal injury or property damages caused from or contributed to by exposure to any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, if the state statute provides a commencement date that is earlier than the federally required commencement date. (Currently, CERCLA preempts state statutes of limitations, which limit the amount of time a lawsuit can commence from the time the contamination is discovered. The Supreme Court ruled in CTS Corp. v. Waldburger that North Carolina's statute of repose was not preempted by CERCLA. That statute of repose limits the amount of time a lawsuit can commence to 10 years from the defendant's last action, regardless of when the contamination is discovered.)

To clarify the effect of State statutes of repose on the required commencement date for actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980.

Rep. G. Butterfield [D-NC]	Rep. John Dingell [D-MI]	Rep. David Price [D-NC]	Rep. Paul Tonko [D-NY]
Rep. Henry Waxman [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2014-07-21	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
2014-06-27	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
2014-06-26	House	Referred to House Judiciary
2014-06-26	House	Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure
2014-06-26	House	Referred to House Energy and Commerce
2014-06-26	House	Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

SB2542 (Same As) 2014-06-26 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4993/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4993/BILLS-113hr4993ih.pdf