Congress reauthorized the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA5) in the Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2023. The House of Representatives passed it on Dec. 22, 2022, and the Senate passed it on Dec. 23, 2022.
“Reauthorizing PRIA has been a priority for Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), as we work to strengthen the federal pesticide regulatory process and ensure our industry can continue to reliably deliver the pest control and plant health solutions necessary for protecting public health and safety, maintaining green spaces and infrastructure and keeping shared spaces pest-free,” said Megan Provost, president of RISE.
PRIA provides resources that are necessary to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). This legislation will support annual appropriations for OPP. It will also have additional funding from industry-paid fees that supplement pesticide registration, registration review and other regulatory actions that are important to promoting product innovation.
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act was first passed in 2004 and set up a fee for service program for pesticide manufacturers. This program funds a part of the EPA's pesticide registration program.
“Having bipartisan congressional support to reauthorize PRIA, along with support for its provisions from nongovernmental (NGO) environmental groups, has delivered greater regulatory predictability for our members, provided resources for important pesticide applicator programs and enhances transparency in the pesticide regulatory process” added Provost.
From its inception onwards, PRIA has been supported by pesticide manufacturers, environmental NGOs, applicators and even members of congress.
This funding for OPP is very necessary, according to RISE. Coupled with a variety of process and information technology improvements, this will allow OPP to increase their staffing and meet higher registration and registration review timeframe expectations. This funding will give consumers and applicators the tools they need to manage pests in and outside of our homes, communities and the environment.
This bill will increase funding for farm worker and clinician training programs, and it will require Spanish translations of pesticide labels within set timeframes. Before the expiration of PRIA 4 on Sept. 30, 2023, PRIA 5 passed one year early. PRIA 5 takes effect on Oct. 1, 2022, and this will expire in five years on Sept. 30, 2027.
