Cortvriend’s PFAS protection legislation signed into law

STATE HOUSE – Sen. Walter S. Felag and Rep. Terri Cortvriend’s legislation that would amend the Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 has been signed into law.  Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are substances that include any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.  They have been found to be extremely damaging to health and the environment.
           
“The more we learn about PFAS and forever chemicals, the more horrifying these products become that affect our health and well-being.  This bill will help enforce the PFAS ban in Rhode Island, which in turn, will protect individuals and certain professions such as fire fighters from being harmed by PFAS exposure,” said Senator Felag (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton).
           
“PFAS and forever chemicals have been proven to be both incredibly harmful to our health and pervasive throughout our daily lives.  This legislation continues our mission to protect the public from PFAS exposure and limit its influence in products and services,” said Representative Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown).
           
The legislation (2026-S 2799, 2026-H 7734) would amend the Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 by clarifying enforcement provisions, providing the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) with authority to join a multijurisdictional clearinghouse to assist in carrying out the requirements of the law, and providing DEM with the authority to exempt a product or category of products from the prohibitions in the law.