Title: PIRCS Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
PFAS Interagency Research Coordination Strategy Act or the PIRCS Act
This bill directs the National Science and Technology Council to establish an interagency working group to coordinate federal activities to advance research and development needed to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These substances are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.
The interagency working group shall (1) provide for interagency coordination of federally funded PFAS research and development, and (2) develop and update every two years a strategic plan for federal support for PFAS research and development.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7931 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7931

 To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
    to establish an interagency working group to coordinate Federal 
 activities to advance research and development needed to address PFAS.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 4, 2020

Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Ms. Dean, Mr. Lamborn, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                     Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
    to establish an interagency working group to coordinate Federal 
 activities to advance research and development needed to address PFAS.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``PFAS Interagency Research 
Coordination Strategy Act'' or the ``PIRCS Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY BODY ON RESEARCH RELATED TO PER- AND 
              POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, acting through the National Science and Technology 
Council, shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate 
Federal activities to advance research and development needed to 
address PFAS.
    (b) Agency Participation.--The interagency working group shall 
include a representative of each--
            (1) the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) the National Institute of Environmental Health 
        Sciences;
            (3) the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry;
            (4) the National Science Foundation;
            (5) the Department of Defense;
            (6) the National Institutes of Health;
            (7) the National Institute of Standards and Technology;
            (8) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
            (9) the Department of the Interior;
            (10) the Department of Transportation;
            (11) the Department of Homeland Security;
            (12) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
            (13) the National Toxicology Program;
            (14) the Department of Agriculture;
            (15) the Geological Survey;
            (16) the Department of Commerce;
            (17) the Department of Energy;
            (18) the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs;
            (19) the Office of Management and Budget; and
            (20) any such other Federal department or agency as the 
        President considers appropriate.
    (c) Co-Chairs.--The interagency working group shall be co-chaired 
by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and a 
representative from one or more agencies, selected by the Director of 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy from the list of agencies 
under subsection (b).
    (d) Responsibilities of the Working Group.--The interagency working 
group established under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) provide for interagency coordination of federally 
        funded PFAS research and development; and
            (2) not later than 12 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act and every 2 years subsequent, develop or 
        update a strategic plan for Federal support for PFAS research 
        and development that--
                    (A) with respect to the fiscal year for which such 
                strategic plan is to be developed, identifies, by 
                agency, the federally funded PFAS research and 
                development, including the nature and scope of such 
                research and development and the amount of funding 
                associated with such research and development for such 
                fiscal year;
                    (B) identifies scientific and technological 
                challenges that must be addressed to understand and to 
                significantly reduce the environmental and human health 
                impacts of PFAS and to identify cost-effective--
                            (i) alternatives to PFAS that are designed 
                        to be safer and more environmentally friendly;
                            (ii) methods for removal of PFAS from the 
                        environment; and
                            (iii) methods to safely destroy or degrade 
                        PFAS;
                    (C) establishes goals, priorities, and metrics for 
                federally funded PFAS research and development that 
                takes into account the progress of the research and 
                development identified in paragraph (A) and the 
                challenges identified in paragraph (B); and
                    (D) develops an implementation plan for Federal 
                agencies.
    (e) Consultation.--In developing the strategic plan under 
subsection (d), the interagency working group shall consult with 
States, Indian Tribes, territories, local governments, appropriate 
industries, institutions of higher education, and nongovernmental 
organizations with expertise in PFAS research and development, 
treatment, management, and alternative development.
    (f) Annual Report.--For each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 
2022, not later than 90 days after submission of the President's annual 
budget request for such fiscal year, the interagency working group 
shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that includes--
            (1) a summary of federally funded PFAS research and 
        development for such fiscal year and the preceding fiscal year, 
        including a disaggregation of spending for any agency that has 
        funded PFAS research; and
            (2) a description of how the Federal agencies under 
        paragraph (1) are implementing the strategic plan described in 
        subsection (d).
    (g) Sunset.--The interagency working group established under 
subsection (a) shall terminate 6 years after the date on which such 
working group is established.
    (h) PFAS Research and Development.--The term ``PFAS research and 
development'' includes any research or project that has the goal of 
accomplishing the following:
            (1) The removal of PFAS from the environment.
            (2) The safe destruction or degradation of PFAS.
            (3) The development and deployment of safer and more 
        environmentally friendly alternative substances that are 
        functionally similar to those made with PFAS.
            (4) The understanding of sources of environmental PFAS 
        contamination and pathways to exposure for the public.
            (5) The understanding of the toxicity of PFAS to humans and 
        animals.
            (6) Any other research project or goal that the Director 
        determines appropriate.
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