U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a bipartisan group of Senators and dozens of advocates in calling for passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. Video of Senator Durbin's remarks at today's press conference are available on his YouTube page.
"I was drawn to this issue following a Chicago Tribune series in 2012 that revealed that flame retardant chemicals added to furniture and other household goods are useless and toxic for American families. I found, in talking with my colleagues, that there was very little we could do about it," said Durbin. "For generations, a lot of Americans have been exposed to unsafe chemicals without knowing it and with no one to protect them. With the passage of this bill, we will change that."
The bipartisan legislation would overhaul the nation's broken chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA), which turns 39 on Oct. 11. The proposal is named for the late Senator Lautenberg, who long pushed to reform TSCA. It currently has the support of 60 senators from 38 states and is ready for a vote on the Senate floor immediately.