# 119-hr-8440: ZELDIN Act 119-hr-8440, ZELDIN Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8440 - As of: 2026-09-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-8440 - Congress: 119 - Title: ZELDIN Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-04-22 - Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Environmental Protection - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-21 ## Summary **Congress would gain direct control over whether EPA can drop certain cancer-related lawsuits or withdraw referrals to the Justice Department, imposing a strict notice and approval window.** The ZELDIN Act targets EPA actions tied to chemicals that the agency's IRIS program calls likely or known human carcinogens and lasts until January 20, 2029. - EPA and Congress: Agencies would have to notify Congress and wait for a joint resolution introduced within 30 days before the EPA Administrator may dismiss a covered lawsuit or withdraw a DOJ referral. The bill creates expedited, nonamendable procedures in both chambers for those resolutions. - Grant recipients and agency lawyers: Terminating EPA grants or cooperative agreements would require a signoff from the EPA Office of General Counsel that the termination follows OMB and EPA rules. Funds could not be treated as deobligated until any civil action and all administrative processes are finished. - Individuals and enforcement: People harmed by violations could get injunctions, attorney fees, and damages equal to compensatory plus punitive awards or $1,000 per violation, with triple damages for bad-faith violations. Courts could cut the EPA Administrator's pay to $1 after a finding of certain violations. ## Cosponsors (1) - Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7] (D-TX), 2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - New private lawsuit rights and damages: benefit, high. If enacted, any person harmed by a violation of this Act would be able to sue in federal court for an injunction, money damages, and costs including reasonable attorney's fees. Damages would be the greater of (A) compensatory plus punitive damages or (B) $1,000 per violation. If the violation was i… - Protections for EPA grant recipients: benefit, low. If enacted, EPA would have to get a written determination from its Office of General Counsel before terminating a grant or cooperative agreement, saying the termination complies with OMB and EPA rules and the award terms. Awarded money could not be treated as unobligated or returned to the Treasury… - Court can cut EPA chief pay: cost, low. If enacted, a U.S. district court that finds the EPA Administrator violated certain provisions of this Act would be able to reduce the Administrator's annual basic pay to $1. The pay reduction would start on the first day of the first applicable pay period after the court finding and remain availab… - Act ends January 20, 2029: mixed, medium. If enacted, the entire Act would stop working on January 20, 2029. After that date, the Act's requirements, restrictions, and protections would no longer apply. The sunset is effective on enactment and sets a fixed end date for all provisions. - Congressional review of EPA carcinogen suits: mixed, medium. If enacted, the EPA Administrator would have to notify Congress before seeking to dismiss an EPA lawsuit or withdraw a DOJ referral about a claim that a chemical IRIS has assessed as a likely or known human carcinogen. A joint resolution approving the dismissal or withdrawal would have to be introd… - EPA must use OMB economic guidance: mixed, medium. If enacted, EPA would have to follow OMB Circular No. A-4 (2023) when doing regulatory analysis for significant regulatory actions and prepare economic analyses using EPA's Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses (3rd ed., 2024). The rule would apply to major actions that quantify and monetize p… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 - 119-hr-5862: American Energy Independence and Affordability Act - 119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-8440 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8440) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853) - [119-hr-5862: American Energy Independence and Affordability Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5862) - [119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5361) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8440 (as of 2026-09-21).