S. 4829 — Introduced in Senate

II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4829 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 13, 2022Mr. Peters (for himself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To create intergovernmental coordination on addressing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the PFAS Intergovernmental Coordination Act. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives. (2) Director The term Director means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. (3) PFAS The term PFAS means a perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance that is man-made and has not fewer than 1 fully fluorinated carbon atom. (4) Working group The term working group means the working group established under section 3(a). 3. Creation of working group (a) Establishment Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish a working group to facilitate more effective cooperation, coordination, and mutual accountability among every level of the Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal governments on a holistic response to PFAS contamination in communities across the United States. (b) Termination (1) Termination date The working group shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date on which the working group is established. (2) Extension Based on the recommendation of the working group described in section 6(a)(2), the Director may extend the working group beyond the termination date. 4. Membership and meetings (a) Appointment The Director shall appoint to the working group representatives with expertise in PFAS from Federal agencies, State, local, and Tribal governments and academic research institutions, including— (1) not less than 1 representative from— (A) the Environmental Protection Agency; (B) the Department of Defense; (C) the Council on Environmental Quality; (D) the Department of Veterans Affairs; (E) the Department of Agriculture; (F) the National Science Foundation; (G) an institution of higher education engaged in PFAS contamination research; and (H) any other relevant entity, as determined by the Director; (2) not less than 5 representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services, including not less than 1 representative from— (A) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (B) the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; (C) the National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health; (D) the National Institutes of Health; and (E) the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) not less than 15 representatives from a diverse cross-section of State, local, and Tribal governments, including not less than 5 representatives from— (A) State governments; (B) local governments; and (C) Tribal governments. (b) Consultation The Director may consult relevant entities in selecting appointees to the working group. (c) Chair The Director may chair the working group or designate a chair. (d) Meetings The working group shall convene on a quarterly basis. 5. Duties of the working group The duties of the working group shall include— (1) considering the common challenges in addressing PFAS contamination across every level of the Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal governments; (2) facilitating more effective cooperation, coordination, and mutual accountability among every level of the Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal governments on a holistic response to PFAS contamination; (3) incorporating the diverse perspectives of the working group to devise ways to— (A) improve the administration and coordination of responses to PFAS contamination; and (B) mitigate future PFAS contamination; (4) providing steps for more productive intergovernmental collaboration in the future, including enhanced communication protocols and recommendations and solutions that would fully address PFAS contamination across the Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal governments; and (5) any other relevant duties as determined by the working group. 6. Report (a) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that— (1) describes any guidelines created in performing the duties under section 5; and (2) makes a recommendation with respect to extending the authorization of the working group. (b) Briefing Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Director submits the report required under subsection (a), the Director shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on the implementation of any guidelines described in subsection (a)(1). (c) Publishing After Congress has been given the opportunity to review the report described in subsection (a) and has been briefed by the Director, and not later than 120 days after the date on which the Director submits such report, the Director shall make the report publicly available.