"Senate Looks Poised To Pass Major Overhaul Of Chemical Safety Law"

"WASHINGTON -- The Senate may pass bipartisan environmental legislation as soon as [this] week, and it's kind of a big deal.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Friday announced support for a bill overhauling the country's decades-old chemical safety law, bringing the number of co-sponsors to 60.

The bill would reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, which has been widely panned as outdated and ineffective at protecting the public from hazardous chemicals. It would give the Environmental Protection Agency more authority to test and regulate chemicals, and to identify risky chemicals that should not be on the market. A Senate committee approved the legislation in April."

Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post October 2, 2015.