The PFAS Free Procurement Act of 2023, or S. 2283, would prohibit executive branch agencies, starting on October 1, 2025, from procuring cookware, utensils, carpets, furniture, and other items containing certain perfluorooctane sulfonate or perfluorooctanoic acid compounds. Those substances fall within a larger group of “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkl substances (PFAS), which are widely used compounds that decompose slowly over time. The bill also would require agencies to prioritize the procurement of PFAS-free products where available and practicable.

The PFAS Action Act of 2023, introduced by Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Pat Ryan (NY-18), along with 13 additional members of Congress, is comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to protect Americans and the environment from harmful forever chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The bill would establish a national drinking water standard for select PFAS chemicals, accelerate designation of PFOA and PFOS chemicals as hazardous substances, which EPA has recently proposed, limit industrial discharge, and provide $200 million annually to assist water utilities and wastewater treatment, among other provisions.