{"id":2530,"date":"2013-01-28T16:05:08","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T21:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/nanotechnology\/?p=2530"},"modified":"2024-02-12T11:01:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T16:01:27","slug":"states-act-while-congress-fiddles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2013\/01\/28\/states-act-while-congress-fiddles\/","title":{"rendered":"States act while Congress fiddles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Denison, Ph.D.<\/em>, is a Senior Scientist.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lest anyone thought that efforts by state legislators to protect their citizens from toxic chemical exposures would slacken despite Congress\u2019 inability to take such action, <\/span>this week\u2019s announcement that legislators in at least 26 states are introducing such bills<\/span><\/a> should dispel that notion.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Safer States<\/span><\/a>, a national coalition of state-based environmental health organizations, notes that \u201cb<\/span>etween 2003 and 2011, 19 states adopted 93 chemical safety policies. The majority of legislation passed with healthy bipartisan support \u2013 99% of Democratic legislators and 75% of Republican legislators voted in favor of bills, and both Republican and Democratic governors signed them into law.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That trend shows no signs of abating in 2013, based on a list of state legislative activities underway, compiled by Safer States (<\/span>more detail here<\/span><\/a>):\u00a0 At least 26 states are each to consider multiple legislation and policy changes this year that will: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n