On April 28, 2015, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW Committee) passed by a 15-5 vote a version of S. 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. This action by the EPW Committee paves the way for consideration of S. 697 -- legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) -- by the full U.S. Senate. The authors of S. 697, Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Tom Udall (D-NM), were able to secure the support of four Democrats on the EPW Committee by making certain amendments to the original version of the bill. Several of these amendments were targeted at strengthening states' ability to regulate harmful chemicals. It is currently unclear when S. 697 may be placed on the Senate calendar for consideration.

A preliminary analysis of the version of S. 697 passed by the EPW Committee is available on the Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) website. A more detailed analysis is forthcoming.

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