Congress again took a step to reauthorize Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) during this session. Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) and ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), along with Sen. Tom Udall (D., N.M.), ranking member of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on interior, environment and related agencies reintroduced PRIA.

The senators said the bipartisan legislation supports the Environmental Protection Agency " in providing timely approvals of crop protection tools to prevent, manage and eradicate devastating pests and plant diseases that threaten our food supply, as well as a variety of consumer products. The bill also includes protections for farmworkers, including resources to train farmworkers in the safe and responsible application of pesticides. We urge swift passage of this legislation.”

PRIA established a framework for EPA when registering pesticides. The original intent has been to create a more predictable and effective evaluation process for affected pesticide decisions by coupling the collection of fees with specific decision review periods. This legislation includes technical changes and extends authority for EPA to collect updated pesticide registration and maintenance fees through fiscal 2023. 

The bipartisan PRIA legislation introduced Feb. 13 is identical to what passed the Senate unanimously by voice vote in June 2018. In December 2018, a variety of agricultural interests urged Congress to pass PRIA.

In June 2017, the Senate Agriculture Committee favorably reported H.R. 1029, the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2017.

In May 2017, the committee held a hearing in preparation for legislative action to gather input on pesticide registrations. A variety of agricultural, non-agricultural, environmental and labor interests support enactment of PRIA.