Environmental Justice For All Act

Bill: 116-s-4401
Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]
Introduced: 2020-08-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Advisory bodies
Air quality
Buy American requirements
Child health
Civil actions and liability
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Community life and organization
Congressional oversight
Cosmetics and personal care
Department of Transportation
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Due process and equal protection
Ecology
Economic development
Electric power generation and transmission
Employee benefits and pensions
Employment and training programs
Energy revenues and royalties
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental education
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Evidence and witnesses
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Federal-Indian relations
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Geography and mapping
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Gulf of Mexico
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Higher education
Historical and cultural resources
Housing and community development funding
Indian lands and resources rights
Indian social and development programs
Infrastructure development
Intergovernmental relations
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marketing and advertising
Medical research
Mining
Minority health
Monuments and memorials
Oil and gas
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance
Product safety and quality
Public participation and lobbying
Public transit
Public-private cooperation
Racial and ethnic relations
Regional and metropolitan planning
Research administration and funding
Rural conditions and development
Sex and reproductive health
Soil pollution
Solid waste and recycling
State and local government operations
Transportation programs funding
Urban and suburban affairs and development
User charges and fees
Water quality
Water use and supply
Women's health
Youth employment and child labor

Summary:
action_date: 2020-08-03
text: 

Environmental Justice For All Act

 
This bill establishes several environmental justice requirements, advisory bodies, and programs to address the disproportionate adverse human health or environmental effects of federal laws or programs on communities of color, low-income communities, or tribal and indigenous communities.
 
Specifically, the bill prohibits disparate impacts on the basis of race, color, or national origin as discrimination.
 
Aggrieved persons may seek legal remedy when faced with such discrimination.
 
In addition, the bill directs agencies to follow certain requirements concerning environmental justice. For example, agencies must prepare community impact reports that assess the potential impacts of their actions on environmental justice communities under certain circumstances.
 
Further, it creates a variety of advisory bodies and positions, such as the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Compliance and Enforcement. Among other things, the group must issue an environmental justice strategy.
 
It also establishes requirements and programs concerning chemicals or toxic ingredients in certain products. For example, the bill (1) requires certain products (e.g., cosmetics) to include a list of ingredients or warnings; and (2) provides grants for research on designing safer alternatives to chemicals in certain consumer, cleaning, toy, or baby products that have an inherent toxicity or that are associated with chronic adverse health effects.
 
Finally, it creates a variety of funding programs, such as a grant program to enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban areas.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-08-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-08-03
text: Introduced in Senate