In early June, a bipartisan, industry-supported substitute version of the proposed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), cleared the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.¹ Because of the substitution, agreed to by the subcommittee bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Eckhardt (D-TX), in order to ease committee action, the House measure, H.R. 14032, differs substantially from the Senate-passed bill, S. 3149.² Thus, for the third time in five years,³ there is some prospect that Congress may not agree on this legislation, which would greatly augment the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate dangerous chemicals.

Because of its bipartisan backing and industry support, the House bill sailed through markup with few changes.⁴ The same combination of forces is likely to assure relatively quick House passage, again with few amendments, when it reaches the floor at the end of July. It is thus timely to compare the two bills, to evaluate the merits and significance of their differences, and to address the likelihood of enactment of toxics legislation in the 94th Congress.