# 119-s-2811: Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025

119-s-2811, Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2811
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2811
- Congress: 119
- Title: Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-16
- Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**A nationwide ban on commercial asbestos.** This bill would prohibit the manufacture, processing, use, and sale of commercial asbestos and products that contain it while carving out tightly limited exceptions. - Families and the public would see fewer new asbestos-containing products in commerce, though materials installed in buildings before enactment and items distributed only for disposal are excluded from the ban. - Workers and firms in the chlor-alkali industry would be allowed to use, hold, and process asbestos fibers only to make diaphragms for chlor-alkali production until January 1, 2030. - National security uses would be eligible for a narrowly supervised one-time presidential exemption for up to 3 years, with a possible single 3-year extension. Exemptions must include terms to reduce exposure and are disclosed to Congress or published unless that would harm security. The bill applies to chemical-substance regulation under TSCA and does not change other federal asbestos rules, including those for cosmetics.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Nationwide ban on commercial asbestos: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would ban making, processing, using, or selling commercial asbestos and products that contain it. The ban would start on the law's enactment date and apply under TSCA to chemical substances. The ban would still allow a few narrow exceptions elsewhere in the bill. If enacted, E…
- Limited chlor-alkali plant exception: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would let chlor-alkali plants that are operating on the enactment date keep using asbestos fibers to make diaphragms and keep using asbestos diaphragms in production until January 1, 2030. The exception would be limited to making and using diaphragms for the chlor-alkali proce…
- What counts as commercial asbestos: mixed, medium. If enacted, this bill would define "commercial asbestos" as eight named asbestiform minerals used for commercial value. The bill would say a product does not count if asbestos is present only as an impurity, citing existing impurity rules. It would also say using asbestos already installed before e…
- Temporary national security exemptions: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would let the President grant one temporary exemption for commercial asbestos uses needed for U.S. national security. Each exemption could last up to three years and be extended once for up to three more years. Exemptions would have required terms to reduce asbestos exposure.…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2811 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2811)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2811 (as of 2026-09-10).