On March 20, the House of Representatives on a voice vote passed the Pesticide Registration Enhancement Act (H.R. 1029). The legislation reauthorizes the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA), requires pesticide registrants to pay fees to offset governmental oversight expenses, and sets timelines for EPA regulatory decisions.

“Before PRIA, pesticide registration could take anywhere from two to eight years,” said Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), who sponsored the legislation. “This bipartisan legislation improves PRIA to ensure transparency, consistency, and efficiency remains within the pesticide registration process.”

The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of industry and environmental advocates, including the Consumer Specialty Products Association and National Resources Defense Council.

The current authorization for PRIA expires on September 30, 2017. H.R. 1029 extends the Act for seven years, provides increases of five percent each on registration fees over the seven years, sets aside $500,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet deadlines for efficacy guidelines for pesticides to combat bed bugs, and increases maintenance fees to $31 million annually.

PRIA, first passed in 2003, provides predictable timelines in the pesticide registration process and increases transparency between EPA and the registrant community.