The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on the Environment and Hazardous Materials drafts legislation and holds hearin

Last fall, the Senate voted to pass a ban on manufacturing, importing or using asbestos products in the United States. But after the vote, it was reported that products containing less than 1 percent asbestos were excluded from the ban.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials is holding hearings on the Senate bill and its own draft legislation to address some of the problems in the Senate version. The Subcommittee is expected to hear from representatives of the EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Public Health Service, as well as private consumer and research groups.

After the committee acts, the legislation must be considered on the House floor and, if it passes in the House, will also be reviewed a conference committee that would address the differences between the House and Senate bills.