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HR123

Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act

Last scannedAug 23, 2026, 4:15 AM

In one sentence

This bill moves chemical safety reviews from the IRIS program to specific EPA offices and creates a steering committee to prevent duplicate work.

What it does

  • Requires relevant EPA program offices, instead of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, to perform hazard identification and dose-response assessments for chemicals when needed.
  • Mandates that these assessments use scientific standards based on the best available science and integrate all lines of evidence.
  • Directs the EPA to assign toxicity values with ranges of risk estimates and uncertainty information when data supports it.
  • Creates a new steering committee made up of 15 full-time EPA employees to coordinate work across offices.
  • Requires the steering committee to prevent duplicate assessments by different program offices on the same chemical substance.

Who it affects

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its specific program offices, including Water; Air and Radiation; Land and Emergency Management; and Chemical Safety.
  • The Office of Research and Development at the EPA, which must maintain a new chemical assessment database.

Limits and unknowns

  • The bill has not been passed into law and remains in congressional committees for review.
  • The official text provided ends before fully listing all scientific standards required for the assessments.
  • It does not specify how much funding will be used to support these new assessment procedures.

Plain language

Terms to know

Covered Assessment
A review that identifies health hazards from long-term exposure to chemicals and measures how much exposure causes harm.
Relevant Program Office
Specific EPA offices responsible for water, air, land emergencies, or chemical safety that will now conduct the assessments.
Toxicity Value
A number assigned to a chemical based on data that shows how harmful it is to human health.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill textStored full record

Official summary

Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act This bill modifies procedures related to specified chemical assessments performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, chemical hazard identification and dose response assessments must be performed by the appropriate EPA program office (they are currently performed by the Integrated Risk Information System program). Additionally, the bill requires the EPA to establish a steering committee to ensure there is no duplication of effort by relevant program offices in conducting covered assessments.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.House floor actions
  2. Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.House floor actions
  3. Introduced in HouseLibrary of Congress
  4. Introduced in HouseLibrary of Congress