The House’s swift approval of a bill to allow the EPA to levy fees to support its pesticide licensing work is a rare vote of confidence in the often-maligned agency from the GOP-controlled Congress.

 

Backers of the measure are now hoping congressional appropriators will provide the agency with enough in the next fiscal year to properly operate the Office of Pesticide Programs—funding which is linked to the fee program.

 

The House on March 20 passed the Pesticide Registration Enhancement Act (PREA) of 2017 (H.R. 1029) by voice vote after 10 minutes of debate.

 

The bill is the fourth iteration of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA), the 2003 law that provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the legal authority to collect fees from pesticide makers to approve the chemicals for sale and review their safety to humans and the environment. The current bill would allow the agency to raise up to $31 million from manufacturers.

 

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