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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.
We have been talking a lot about the, admittedly, very arcane details of this bill. I want to talk for a minutes about how this bill is going to impact the families of America.
Think about someone you know and love who will probably start a family in the next decade. I think of my own two daughters who are in their 20s. That future parent will be very excited about the arrival of a child. The parents will create a nursery in their home for their new baby, a space that is clean, warm, and safe.
Well, they think it is safe. But right now, under current law, that rocking chair in the corner could be covered with toxic flame retardants. The fresh paint on the walls could contain harmful volatile organic compounds. The rug beneath the crib probably has been treated with formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. Parents and children should not have to worry whether the most basic, everyday things they do are toxic to their health.
TSCA has been a flawed piece of legislation since it passed in 1976. Nobody liked it--the environmental community, the chemical industry, or the parents of America. We need to bring some certainty to the regulation of the tens of thousands of chemicals that we have out there, and that is what this bill will do.
Did you know that under this bill, for the first time, EPA will have access to the information it needs on a chemical? For the first time, EPA will regulate the worst chemicals out there, like arsenic? For the first time, the EPA will have deadlines for review so that Americans are protected from dangerous chemicals as soon as practicable? And for the first time, Americans will know exactly what is out there in commerce?
For the first time, every nursery in America will be clean, warm, and safe. That is what America deserves.
Is this bill perfect?
No. But it is what we are expected to do as Members of the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans--protect the safety of our children and generations to come.
I really want to thank my colleagues. I want to thank Mr. Pallone and Mr. Tonko on our side of the aisle. I want to thank the rock star, Mr. Shimkus, who I have been working with, along with Mr. Green, since 2007 to bring this to reality.
This truly is a great day for the families of America, and I am really proud that we are able to get this done. I hope my colleagues will look at the bill in totality; I hope you will see how, finally, we are going to be able to actually regulate these chemicals; and I hope you will vote ``yes.''
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