[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3346 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3346
To abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2025
Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to
the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and
Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Sovereign State Environmental
Quality Assurance Act''.
SEC. 2. ABOLISHMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.
(a) Abolishment.--Effective on the termination date under
subsection (c), the Environmental Protection Agency is abolished.
(b) Abolition of Functions.--All functions, including any duty,
obligation, power, authority, responsibility, right, privilege,
activity, or program, that, immediately before the termination date
under subsection (c), were functions of the Environmental Protection
Agency are abolished effective on such termination date.
(c) Termination Date.--The termination date under this subsection
is the date that is 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(d) Wind-Up Activities.--The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall take such actions as may be necessary to wind
up any outstanding obligations, activities, or affairs of the
Environmental Protection Agency prior to the termination date under
subsection (c).
(e) Progress Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall submit to Congress a report on the Agency's
progress in winding up the affairs of the Agency by not later than the
termination date under subsection (c).
(f) Repeals.--Effective on the termination date under subsection
(c), any provision of law authorizing or requiring the Environmental
Protection Agency to perform any function is, to the extent such
provision of law applies to the Environmental Protection Agency,
repealed.
SEC. 3. BLOCK GRANTS TO DESIGNATED STATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DEPARTMENTS.
(a) Allocation of Funds.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of
the Treasury shall allocate funds made available pursuant to
paragraph (5) to each covered State in the proportion to which
the total population of such covered State bears to the total
population of all the covered States, as determined by the last
preceding decennial census.
(2) Block grant conditions.--
(A) Designation of state agency or department.--As
a condition of a covered State receiving an allocation
of funds under this subsection, the Governor of such
covered State shall designate the environmental quality
department or departments of such covered State that
will use the funds to carry out the programs and
activities described in paragraph (4).
(B) Audits.--As a condition of a covered State
receiving an allocation of funds under this subsection,
the Governor of such covered State shall commit to--
(i) completing audits on the use of funds
by each environmental quality department
designated pursuant to subparagraph (A) as the
Secretary of the Treasury determines
appropriate; and
(ii) submitting to the Secretary of the
Treasury the results of such audits at such
time and in such manner as the Secretary of the
Treasury determines appropriate.
(3) Misused funds.--If the Secretary of the Treasury finds
that any funds made available pursuant to this section have
been misused by a covered State, or any environmental quality
department thereof designated pursuant to paragraph (2), the
Secretary of the Treasury may require repayment of the misused
funds and withhold Federal funds made available pursuant to
this section until such repayment occurs.
(4) Use of funds.--An environmental quality department
designated pursuant to paragraph (2) shall use funds made
available to such environmental quality department pursuant to
this section to carry out programs and activities relating to
air quality, water quality (including protection and safety of
drinking water), management of solid and hazardous waste,
chemical safety and emergency response, radiation protection,
and remediation of contaminated sites.
(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $4,400,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
(b) Definition of Covered State.--In this section, the term
``covered State'' means each of the several States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and American Samoa.
(c) Authorization for Administration.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of the Treasury such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to--
(1) administer any allocation of funds made available
pursuant to subsection (a)(5); and
(2) audit the use of funds made available pursuant to
subsection (a)(5) and report to Congress on the results of any
such audit.
SEC. 4. ANNUAL GAO STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Annual Study and Report.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall--
(1) annually, for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029,
conduct a study on the implementation and effectiveness of this
Act; and
(2) submit to Congress, not later than 180 days after the
end of the fiscal year with respect to which a study under
paragraph (1) is conducted, a report on the results of such
study.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Comptroller General of the United States to carry
out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years
2026 through 2029.
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