News

ISSA LARU—Update on VOC Regulations

Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on VOC regulations, the regulation of 1,4-dioxane in New York State, a proposed approach to the EPA’s non-PRIA-related backlog for antimicrobials, and more.

Want to stay informed about critical government affairs impacting the industry? Sign up here to have the ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update (LARU) emailed directly to you every other week.

Happy Thanksgiving from your ISSA Government Affairs Team!

ISSA Advocacy

Update on VOC Regulations
As we approach the end of the year, it is important to note the numerous changes to volatile organic compound (VOC) regulations that will occur at the beginning of 2023 throughout North America, and which will impact the formulation of multiple cleaning product categories. California, New York, and Ohio are just a few of the jurisdictions that have recently revised their VOC regulations. Learn about other important changes in the world of VOC regulation by reading the full ISSA article, Update on VOC Regulations, which provides an overview of some of the more substantial changes to VOC regulations on the near horizon.

ISSA Issues Update on 1,4-Dioxane in New York State
Effective December 31, 2022, personal care, household, and commercial cleaning products containing 1,4-dioxane in concentrations greater than two-parts per million (ppm) cannot be sold or offered for sale in New York State. In addition, cosmetic products containing 1,4-dioxane in concentrations greater than ten ppm cannot be sold or offered for sale in New York State. 

EPA Proposed Approach to Non-PRIA Backlog for Antimicrobials
During a recent Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) Stakeholder Call, Anita Pease, Director, Antimicrobials Division (AD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicated that one of the options that the agency is exploring to address the existing and sizable backlog of non-PRIA registration actions is to simply “close out” all non-PRIA actions submitted before October 2020, with a 30-day window for registrants to notify AD that they wish to keep these actions open. Non-PRIA actions are those registration actions for which no fee is assessed and typically involve minor amendments to registrations.

EPA Issues RFI for Indoor Air Quality Management
ISSA urges members to respond to the Request for Information (RFI) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through which the agency seeks to promote and advance the widespread adoption of actions that will lead to improvements in indoor air quality in commercial and institutional buildings to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. ISSA members are encouraged to submit their comments on the EPA RFI directly to: 

• Bill Balek, ISSA ([email protected]) no later than November 30, 2022, for possible inclusion in ISSA’s comments to EPA; and 
• EPA via email to: [email protected]. Include Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR– 2022–0794 in the subject line of the message.

Free ISSA Webinar: What the 2022 Elections Mean for the Cleaning Industry
Register now for the free ISSA webinar, What the 2022 Elections Mean for the Cleaning Industry, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, December 7, to learn:

• How the 2022 midterm-election results at the federal and state levels are likely to affect the full spectrum of the cleaning industry
• What are likely to be the priority legislative and regulatory issues for the industry in the new year
• How ISSA Government Affairs intends to impact these issues on behalf of the industry
• And much more

You’ll also have the opportunity to have your most pressing government affairs questions answered as part of the live webinar. This informative and interactive virtual event will feature ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft and ISSA Federal Lobbyist Laurie Flanagan. Save your seat today!

Legislative

Republicans Take Control of House, Democrats Retain Senate Majority
Republicans won control of the U.S. House of Representatives, NBC News reported, handing President Joe Biden a divided Congress after Democrats retained control of the Senate in this month’s midterm elections.

Congressional Commission Calls for Reassessment of Trade Relationship with China
A congressionally mandated commission is calling on the Biden administration to assess whether China is engaging in predatory trade practices, a ruling that could eventually lead to the United States suspending permanent normal trade relations with China, according to Foreign Policy.

Regulatory

Rail Union Rejects Contract; Strike Threatens US Economy
One of the largest railroad unions voted to reject a contract deal brokered by the White House, bringing the country closer to a rail strike that could paralyze much of the economy ahead of the holidays, The Washington Post reported.

Schools Prioritize Federal Funds to Improve Air Quality
A report released by the Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council found U.S. school districts widely committing funding from last year’s American Rescue Plan to upgrading or improving their air filtration and heating/cooling systems, more so than for other facility improvements, according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

DOL Seeks to Stop Child Labor Violations
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) asked a federal court to issue a nationwide temporary restraining order and injunction against Packers Sanitation Services Inc. LTD–one of the nation’s leading providers of food safety sanitation–to stop the company from illegally employing dozens of minor-aged workers, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reported.

Biden Discusses Three-Hour Meeting with Xi
President Joe Biden held a three-hour talk on November 14 with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, their first in-person encounter since Biden took office and an opportunity that both sides appeared to hope would lead to an improvement in deteriorating relations, according to CNN. Emerging afterward, Biden said that he and Xi came “nowhere near resolving the litany of issues that have helped drive the US-China relationship to its lowest point in decades.” However, in a sign that both men arrived at the meeting hoping to improve the relationship, Biden announced that his Secretary of State would visit China and said that officials from each country would begin working together on relevant issues.

State News

Voters Approve Minimum Wage Increases in Nebraska, DC
Voters in Nebraska and the District of Columbia approved minimum wage increases through ballot measures during the midterm elections, Axios reported. With the federal minimum wage set at US$7.25 per hour since July 2009, at least 30 states and  Washington D.C. have passed and implemented minimum wage increases above the federal minimum, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Voters in Nebraska approved a ballot initiative to incrementally increase the state’s minimum wage from its current US$9 per hour to $15 over the next four years. Additionally, voters in the nation’s capital passed a measure that changes the district’s minimum wage for workers who earn tips, like servers and bartenders.

Nevada also votes to increase minimum wage to $12

Tracking 2022 Recycling Laws by State
State legislatures have “kicked into high gear” in recent years to introduce and pass numerous bills aimed at recycling, reducing plastic waste, promoting circular economy initiatives, and more. To date, states have been nimbler than Congress in enacting legislation, and this could change the way communities—and eventually the country—manage waste and recycling. Some of the most notable state-level actions in 2022 included new laws around extended producer responsibility, postconsumer recycled content, plastic item bans, and container deposit systems. In this Waste Dive piece, bills are listed based on the date that they were signed into law. This list will expand in the future to cover additional types of bills.