HR 9615
Passed a chamber
Requires the EPA to issue a rule within 18 months of enactment on managing lithium-ion batteries as universal waste, and sets interim storage requirements for facilities that hold them before recycling.
Official title: BRACE Act
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced
09-JUL-2026
Referred
09-JUL-2026
Reported
14-SEP-2026
On the calendar
14-SEP-2026
Passed
15-SEP-2026
Senate
Received
16-SEP-2026
- Requires the EPA Administrator to issue a rule within 18 months of enactment treating lithium-ion batteries as universal waste.
- Until that rule is issued, facilities that store lithium-ion batteries before recycling must follow large quantity handler universal waste requirements for storage, along with certain other federal waste rules.
- Directs the EPA to consider tailored universal waste requirements, added safety rules for gaps in existing protections, and changes that support recovering critical minerals while maintaining health and environmental protections.
- Amends the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act to point its references to 40 CFR part 273 instead of the 1995 regulations.
Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in House" (09-JUL-2026); the text has changed since (Engrossed in House, 15-SEP-2026).
CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov- Energy and Commerce Committee (House)
- Environment Subcommittee
- Environment and Public Works Committee (Senate)
Environmental Protection
■ 2 D■ 1 R
2 Democrats
1 Republican