Policy Solutions: Legislative Analyses

All Legislative Analyses Tagged health

Oppose the REINS Act: H.R. 10/S.299

Legislative Analysis

The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (“REINS”) Act (H.R. 10/S. 299), introduced by Rep. Davis (R-KY) and Sen. Paul (R-KY), would undo more than 100 years of safeguards by allowing just one chamber of Congress to block enforcement of existing statutory protections -- from worker safety, to public health, to Wall Street reform. This would make Congress the required arbiter of every technical question and business dispute, and would allow a single chamber of Congress to stop any regulation, no matter what the facts showed. The REINS Act would effectively rewrite virtually every environmental and other regulatory statute, making their requirements unenforceable. Get document in pdf.

Now is the Time to Reform the Toxic Substances Control Act

Legislative Analysis

For decades, Americans have assumed that laws are in place to require testing of chemicals for safety and to keep unsafe chemicals out of the products we use every day. Unfortunately, the failure of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to regulate the chemical industry and protect the public from exposure to unsafe chemicals, proves this assumption wrong. Congress must enact strong legislation to reform TSCA and ensure the safety of chemicals in the home, the workplace, and the marketplace. Get document in pdf.

An Uneven Shield
The Record of Enforcement and Violations Under California's Environmental, Health and Workplace Safety Laws

Issue Paper

California leads the nation in setting standards to protect the health of families, communities and the environment. Yet too little is publicly known about how effectively these standards are enforced. This October 2008 report examines data on known violations and law enforcement responses under six critical pollution, health and safety programs, and finds that enforcement of state environmental and health laws varies widely.

Support a Ban On U.S. Mercury Exports

Legislative Analysis

The United States should take strong measures against global mercury contamination by adopting a ban on the export of surplus mercury to the world market.