Federal Legislative Update - August 11, 2026

House:

HR 6832 - Packaging and Claims Knowledge (PACK) Act

Introduced by Representative Randy Weber (R-TX-14), this legislation would establish a national framework for claims about the recyclability, compostability, and reusability of consumer packages. The House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee reviewed the legislation as part of a hearing on July 22, “Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace.”

HR 9615 - Battery Recycling for America’s Competitive Economy (BRACE) Act

Introduced by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1), this legislation would allow destination facilities, which are not allowed to store lithium-ion batteries under existing universal waste regulations without a full hazardous waste permit, to store those batteries prior to recycling them. The bill passed the House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee by voice vote on July 14.

HR 9617 - Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act

Introduced by Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL-6), this legislation would direct the EPA Administrator, in consultation with the heads of other federal agencies, to develop and carry out a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy to coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials. The bill passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 21 by a vote of 47-0.

HR 9618 - Diesel Engine Flexibility (DEF) Act

Introduced by Representative Julie Fedorchak (R-ND-At Large), this legislation would create a 10-year statutory safe harbor for activities covered under existing guidance published by the EPA on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) quality monitoring and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) inducement standards. The bill passed the House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee by voice vote on July 14.

Senate:

S. 4429 - Connected Vehicle Security Act

Introduced by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), this legislation would prohibit the importation, manufacture, sale, or resale of connected vehicles and related software and hardware associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The prohibitions in the bill also would apply to certain joint ventures or entities under their control. The bill passed the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee by voice vote on July 22. During consideration of the bill, REPAIR Act lead sponsor, Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), expressed his support for including vehicle right to repair provisions in surface transportation legislation.

Surface Transportation Reauthorization:

The House and Senate also passed FY 2027 stopgap funding bills before recessing for August. Although the House bill does not address the surface transportation authorities that expire on September 30^th, the Senate’s bill would extend them until Dec. 11. The two chambers will need to reconcile the differences between their bills when they return in September.