International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2006
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2006 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize states to enact laws or issue regulations or orders restricting the receipt and disposal of foreign municipal solid waste, as defined by this Act, within their borders until the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues regulations implementing and enforcing the Agreement Concerning the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste between the United States and Canada (Agreement). Declares that state actions authorized by this Act shall not be considered a burden on, or otherwise impede, interstate and foreign commerce.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) perform the functions of the Designated Authority of the United States with respect to the importation and exportation of municipal solid waste under the Agreement; (2) implement and enforce the notice and consent and other provisions of the Agreement; and (3) issue final regulations on the Administrator's responsibilities as Designated Authority of the United States.
Requires the Administrator to give substantial weight to the views of affected states and local governments before consenting to the importation of foreign municipal solid waste into the United States under the Agreement, and to consider the impact of such importation on: (1) the continued public support for state and local recycling programs; (2) landfill capacities; (3) air emissions and road deterioration from increased vehicular traffic; and (4) homeland security, public health, and the environment.
Makes it unlawful for any person to import, transport, or export municipal solid waste for final disposal or for incineration in violation of the Agreement.
Authorizes the Administrator to assess civil penalties for any past or current violations of this Act or to commence a civil action in the U.S. district court. Limits the amount of such civil penalties to $25,000 per day of noncompliance for each violation. Provides for a public hearing to review any noncompliance order issued by the Administrator.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on September 6, 2006. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 7, 2006: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
PAUL GILLMOR (R-OH) introduced it on May 19, 2005, and 12 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 7 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 19, 2005, 7784 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7308 days ago, on September 7, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers