Bill > HR5373

This bill, named the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025, aims to comprehensively prohibit the manufacture, processing, use, and distribution of commercial asbestos and any mixtures or articles containing it. The bill defines commercial asbestos as asbestiform varieties of specific minerals like chrysotile, crocidolite, and amosite, and provides some specific exemptions. Notably, the bill allows chlor-alkali facilities currently in operation to continue using asbestos for manufacturing diaphragms until January 1, 2030. The legislation also includes a national security exemption, which allows the President to grant a one-time, up to 3-year exemption (with a possible 3-year extension) for asbestos use if it is deemed necessary to protect national security interests and no feasible alternative exists. The bill specifies that any such exemption must include terms to minimize asbestos exposure and requires publication of exemption applications and details in the Federal Register, with a provision for withholding sensitive national security information. The prohibition on asbestos use takes effect immediately upon the bill's enactment, with the specific exemptions providing limited, controlled pathways for continued use in very specific circumstances.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5373/all-info