On March 8, 2019, President Trump signed into law S. 483, the “Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018” (PRIA 4). The measure, which provides a long-term reauthorization of PRIA, was introduced in the Senate on February 13, 2019 as a stand-alone bill and was adopted in that chamber by voice vote on February 14^th. As introduced, S. 483 referenced H.R. 1029, the Pesticide Registration Enhancement Act, as amended by the Senate on June 28, 2018 during the last Congress. On February 25, 2019, under unanimous consent, the House approved the “long form” of the measure containing the full text rather than just a reference to the June 2018 Senate passed bill. In a parliamentary procedure that did not affect the substance or intent of the legislation, the Senate subsequently took up the House passed measure and approved it by voice vote on February 28^th. S. 483 was then sent to the White House for the President’s signature.

PRIA 4 authorizes EPA to collect registration service and maintenance fees through 2023, establishes firm timelines for the review of pesticide and inert ingredient submissions, and makes several technical changes to PRIA 3. CPDA has long been a proponent of PRIA and is pleased that legislation providing for a long-term reauthorization of the statute has now been enacted into law.

A summary of the key provisions contained in PRIA 4 and a comparison with previous versions of the statute was prepared by DC Legislative & Regulatory Services on behalf of the PRIA Industry Coalition of which CPDA is a member. This document may be accessed by clicking here.

CPDA continues to work as a member of the PRIA Industry Coalition in providing input to EPA as the Agency proceeds with its plans to implement the newly enacted PRIA 4.