HouseH.R. 9663119th Congress
State Standing Committee Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9663 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9663
To amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration
Authorization Act of 1978 to establish in the Environmental Protection
Agency the State Standing Committee, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 14, 2026
Mr. Baird introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration
Authorization Act of 1978 to establish in the Environmental Protection
Agency the State Standing Committee, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``State Standing Committee Act''.
SEC. 2. STATE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY.
The Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration
Authorization Act of 1978 is amended--
(1) by inserting after section 8 (42 U.S.C. 4365) the
following new section:
``SEC. 8A. STATE STANDING COMMITTEE.
``(a) In General.--There is established in the Environmental
Protection Agency the State Standing Committee (in this section
referred to as the `Committee').
``(b) Membership.--
``(1) In general.--The Committee shall be composed of one
member from each State, Federal district, Federal territory, or
Federally recognized Tribe (as such term is defined in section
4 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)).
``(2) Qualifications.--Each member of the Committee shall
satisfy the following requirements:
``(A) Reside in the State, Federal district, or
Federal territory, or be a member of the Federally
recognized Tribe, such member represents under
paragraph (1).
``(B) Be an employee of a government agency that
satisfies the following requirements:
``(i) Is of such State, Federal district,
Federal territory, or Federally recognized
Tribe, as the case may be.
``(ii) Is an environmental agency, natural
resource agency, agricultural agency, or other
agency responsible for regulatory compliance
with environmental standards.
``(C) Be qualified by education, training, or
experience to evaluate scientific or technical
information relevant to such State, Federal district,
Federal territory, or Federally recognized Tribe, as
the case may be.
``(3) Prohibitions.--A member of the Committee may not be
any of the following:
``(A) A member or employee of the Science Advisory
Board established under section 8 (in this section
referred to as the `Board').
``(B) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(B), an
employee of the Federal Government.
``(c) Appointment.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency (in this section referred to as the
`Administrator') and the Board shall appoint through an open,
competitive, and merit-based process the members of the
Committee, who shall serve without pay and on a voluntary, ad
hoc basis.
``(2) Vacancies.--If a vacancy exists on the Committee, not
later than 90 days after the date on which such vacancy began,
the Administrator and the Board shall fill such vacancy in the
manner in which the original appointment was made.
``(d) Advice.--
``(1) Committee.--The Committee may provide to the
Administrator and the Board scientific or technical advice,
including majority and minority views, as applicable, on
matters specified in subsection (h), regardless of the
following:
``(A) Whether such matters are referred to the
Committee by the Administrator or the Board.
``(B) Whether the Committee reaches a majority
consensus with respect to such advice.
``(2) Member.--
``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a
member of the Committee may provide to the
Administrator and the Board scientific or technical
advice on matters specified in subsection (h) if such
advice concerns, to the extent practicable, the State,
Federal district, Federal territory, or Federally
recognized Tribe such member represents under
subsection (b)(1).
``(B) Prohibitions.--Neither the Committee nor a
member of the Committee may prohibit advice from being
provided pursuant to subparagraph (A).
``(e) Working Groups.--The Committee may establish working groups
with respect to matters specified in subsection (h) that concern one or
more States, Federal districts, Federal territories, or Federally
recognized Tribes.
``(f) Publication.--Not later than 30 days after advice is provided
pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2)(A) of subsection (d), the
Administrator shall make publicly available on a website of the
Environmental Protection Agency such advice.
``(g) Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Chapter 10 of title 5,
United States Code, (commonly referred to as the Federal Advisory
Committee Act) does not apply to the Committee.
``(h) Matters Specified.--The matters specified in this subsection
are matters under any of the following:
``(1) The Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.).
``(2) The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1251 et seq.).
``(3) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.
``(4) The Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4901 et
seq.).
``(5) The Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2601 et
seq.).
``(6) The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.).
``(7) The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.).
``(8) The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13101
et seq.).
``(9) The Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.).
``(10) Subsection (e)(2)(C) of section 8.
``(11) Any other authority of the Administrator.''; and
(2) in section 8 (relating to the Science Advisory Board)--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``the
Administrator,'' and all that follows through the
period and inserting ``the Administrator or an
appropriate committee of Congress.'';
(B) in subsection (c)(1) (relating to matters
before the Board)--
(i) by striking the comma after
``Resource'';
(ii) by inserting ``of 1972'' after ``Noise
Control Act''; and
(iii) by inserting ``the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act,
the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act, the Pollution
Prevention Act of 1990,'' after ``Substances
Control Act,'';
(C) by amending subsection (i) to read as follows:
``(i) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this sentence and annually thereafter, the
Administrator shall submit to each appropriate committee of Congress a
report regarding the membership and activities of, and the advice and
comments provided by, the following for the annual period covered by
such report:
``(1) The Board, including each committee and investigative
panel established under subsection (e).
``(2) The State Standing Committee under section 8A.''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(j) Appropriate Committee of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term `appropriate committee of Congress' means any of the
following:
``(1) The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives.
``(2) The Committee on Environment and Public Works of the
Senate.''.
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