I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 70 

To abolish the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2019 

Mr. BIGGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To abolish the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 

Registry, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Freedom for Farmers 

5 Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ABOLISHMENT OF AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES 

7 AND DISEASE REGISTRY. 

8 (a) ABOLISHMENT OF AGENCY.—The Agency for 

9 Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (in this section re10 ferred to as the ‘‘Agency’’) is abolished effective on the 


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1 date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

2 Act. 

3 (b) TERMINATION OF FUNCTIONS.—Except as pro4 vided in subsection (c)(1), all functions of the Agency shall 

5 terminate on the date specified in subsection (a). 

6 (c) TRANSFERRED AUTHORITY.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Prior to the date specified in 

8 subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human 

9 Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec10 retary’’) shall transfer the authority vested in the 

11 Agency by section 104(i)(1)(A) of the Comprehen12 sive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

13 Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9604(i)(1)(A)) as 

14 in effect on the day before the date of enactment of 

15 this Act (relating to a national registry of serious 

16 diseases and illnesses and a national registry of per17 sons exposed to toxic substances) to an appropriate 

18 agency within the Department of Health and 

19 Human Services. 

20 (2) CORRESPONDING TRANSFER OF ASSETS

21 AND PERSONNEL.—In connection with the transfer 

22 of authority under paragraph (1), the Secretary may 

23 transfer within the Department of Health and 

24 Human Services such assets, funds, personnel, 

25 records, and other property relating to the transVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Jan 09, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H70.IH H70

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1 ferred authority as the Secretary determines to be 

2 appropriate. 

3 (d) WIND-UP PERIOD.— 

4 (1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

5 ‘‘wind-up period’’ means the period beginning on the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the 

7 date specified in subsection (a). 

8 (2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Secretary shall be 

9 responsible for— 

10 (A) the administration and wind-up, dur11 ing the wind-up period, of all functions of the 

12 Agency that are terminated by this section; 

13 (B) the administration and wind-up, dur14 ing the wind-up period, of any outstanding obli15 gations of the Federal Government under any 

16 programs of the Agency that are terminated by 

17 this section; and 

18 (C) taking such other actions as may be 

19 necessary to wind-up any outstanding affairs of 

20 the Agency before the end of the wind-up pe21 riod. 

22 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

23 (a) CERCLA.—The Comprehensive Environmental 

24 Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 

25 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 104 (42 U.S.C. 9604), by amend2 ing subsection (i) to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(i) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 

4 shall, in cooperation with the States, maintain a national 

5 registry of serious diseases and illnesses and a national 

6 registry of persons exposed to toxic substances.’’; 

7 (2) in section 111 (42 U.S.C. 9611)— 

8 (A) by striking subsection (c)(4); and 

9 (B) by striking subsection (m); and 

10 (3) in section 310(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 

11 9659(a)(2)), by striking ‘‘and the Administrator of 

12 the ATSDR’’. 

13 (b) OTHER CONFORMING CHANGES.— 

14 (1) Section 2704 of title 10, United States 

15 Code, is amended by striking subsection (f). 

16 (2) Section 405(d)(1) of the Toxic Substances 

17 Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2601(d)(1)) is amended by 

18 striking ‘‘acting through the Director of the Agency 

19 for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,’’. 

20 (3) Section 209(c)(1)(A) of the Fire Adminis21 tration Authorization Act of 1992 (29 U.S.C. 

22 671a(c)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘the Admin23 istrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Dis24 ease Registry,’’. 


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1 (4) Section 118(e)(3)(A) of the Federal Water 

2 Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1268(e)(3)(A)) is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘, in consultation with the Re4 search Office, the Agency for Toxic Substances and 

5 Disease Registry, and Great Lakes States’’ and in6 serting ‘‘, in consultation with the Research Office 

7 and Great Lakes States,’’. 

8 (5) Section 317F(a) of the Public Health Serv9 ice Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–7(a)) is amended— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and the 

11 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Reg12 istry’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or the 

14 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Reg15 istry’’. 

16 (6) Section 399S of the Public Health Service 

17 Act (42 U.S.C. 280g–7) is amended— 

18 (A) in subsection (b)(1)(A)(i)— 

19 (i) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

20 subclause (II); 

21 (ii) by striking subclause (III); and 

22 (iii) by redesignating subclause (IV) 

23 as subclause (III); and 

24 (B) in subsection (d)(1)(A)— 

25 (i) by striking clause (iv); and 


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1 (ii) by redesignating clauses (v) 

2 through (vii) as clauses (iv) through (vi), 

3 respectively. 

4 (7) Section 399V–6(e)(5) of the Public Health 

5 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g–17(e)(5)) is amended 

6 by striking ‘‘and the Assessments of Chemical Expo7 sures Program of the Agency for Toxic Substances 

8 and Disease Registry’’. 

9 (8) Section 3(c) of the ICCVAM Authorization 

10 Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l–3(c)) is amended— 

11 (A) by striking paragraph (1); and 

12 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

13 through (16) as paragraphs (1) through (15), 

14 respectively. 

15 (9) Section 2201(e) of the Water Infrastructure 

16 Improvements for the Nation Act (42 U.S.C. 300j– 

17 12 note) is amended by striking ‘‘the Director of the 

18 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’’ 

19 each place it appears. 

20 (10) Section 2203 of the Water Infrastructure 

21 Improvements for the Nation Act (42 U.S.C. 300j– 

22 27) is amended— 

23 (A) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘within 

24 the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 

25 Registry or the Centers for Disease Control and 


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1 Prevention at the discretion of the Secretary’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘within the Centers for Disease 

3 Control and Prevention’’; and 

4 (B) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘, 

5 within the Agency for Toxic Substances and 

6 Disease Registry’’. 

7 (11) Section 709(a)(7) of the Security and Ac8 countability for Every Port Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 

9 300hh–14(a)(7)) is amended by striking ‘‘the Agen10 cy for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,’’. 

11 (12) Section 3001 of the Solid Waste Disposal 

12 Act (42 U.S.C. 6921(b)(1)) is amended by striking 

13 ‘‘the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Reg14 istry and’’. 

15 (13) Section 3019 of the Solid Waste Disposal 

16 Act (42 U.S.C. 6939a) is amended— 

17 (A) by striking subsections (b) through 

18 (g); and 

19 (B) in subsection (a), by striking the sub20 section designation and heading. 

21 (14) Section 103(d)(2)(A) of the Clean Air Act 

22 (42 U.S.C. 7403(d)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 

23 ‘‘the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Reg24 istry,’’. 


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1 (c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

2 section apply beginning on the date specified in section 

3 2(a). 

Æ 


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