Senate advances PFAS consumer‑product bill S.197 to third reading after committee report

Senator Williams (Rutland) presented the committee report on S.197, an act concerning procurement and distribution of products containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the monitoring of adverse health conditions attributed to PFAS. He said the Committee on Health and Welfare recommended amendments and asked the Senate to insert new language after the enacting clause establishing an implementation plan for consumer products containing PFAS.

Under the reported language, the Agency of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the Department of Health, and the Attorney General, would propose a program to identify and restrict the sale and distribution of consumer products containing PFAS that could impact public health or the environment. The agency must describe categories of products to be targeted, a process for manufacturers to determine whether products contain PFAS, and how that information is to be communicated to the state and public. Senator Williams said the agency should obtain recommendations from interested parties and submit an implementation plan and corresponding draft legislation to the House Committee on Environment and Energy, the House Committee on Human Services, and relevant Senate committees on or before Sept. 1, 2024.

"The Agency of Natural Resources in consultation with the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the Department of Health, and the Office of the Attorney General shall propose a program requiring the state to identify and restrict the sale and distribution of consumer products containing PFAS that could impact public health and the environment," Williams said in his report. He listed a range of agency and stakeholder witnesses who testified to the committee.

The presiding officer put the committee recommendation to the Senate; members adopted it by voice vote and the Senate ordered S.197 to third reading. The bill language in the committee report set an effective date of July 1, 2024 and a reporting deadline of Sept. 1, 2024; the committee vote on the measure was recorded in the report as 5‑0.