# 119-s-4153: Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act of 2026

119-s-4153, Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4153
- As of: 2026-09-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4153
- Congress: 119
- Title: Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-19
- Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-12

## Summary

**Phase out nonessential uses and releases of PFAS** nationwide while directing independent science to define what counts as an essential use and fund detection and cleanup research. This bill would create a mandatory, science-driven path to eliminate PFAS from products and the environment.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal floor for PFAS rules: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would make federal PFAS rules the minimum nationwide standard. States could not set weaker PFAS rules, but they could adopt stricter ones. If a federal rule is delayed or blocked by a court, States could impose rules until the federal rule takes effect.
- PFAS research centers and funding: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create two PFAS Centers of Excellence to improve testing, removal, and destruction methods. EPA must seek a 10-year science agreement (for reviews and reports) and the National Academies must give an initial report within 1 year. The bill directs $25 million from DOD FY20…
- Higher PFAS fees for manufacturers: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would define who counts as a PFAS "manufacturer" (including importers and exporters) and have EPA set who is a PFAS "user." It would require EPA to study workload within 180 days and set annual report fees and petition fees by rule within 2 years. If EPA misses the deadline, a…
- Stronger PFAS enforcement and suits: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would give EPA strong powers to act quickly when PFAS pose imminent danger. EPA could order cleanups, stop uses, require monitoring and access, and make records public (subject to some confidentiality protections). EPA could impose civil penalties sized to remove economic benef…
- 10-year PFAS phaseout and bans: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would require manufacturers and users to stop nonessential PFAS uses within 10 years. Each manufacturer and user would have to file a public phaseout plan within 3 years. EPA would have until year 7 to set validated detection methods and a schedule to meet the 10-year goal. The…
- Changes to PFAS legal claims: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would let people keep suing for PFAS harms in several new ways. Claims tied to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (including PFAS) would not be blocked by a related company’s bankruptcy filing. The bill would also shift when some state time limits start for PFAS i…
- Federal buying rules and exemptions: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require federal agencies to follow PFAS rules like private companies and to try to stop buying products known to contain PFAS. Agencies could survey purchases and pause buying items not certified PFAS-free while finding safer options. The United States would waive soverei…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4153 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4153)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [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)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4153 (as of 2026-09-12).