The Hr 5845 Law: Passed Or Rejected?

H.R. 5845 refers to a bill in the United States Congress. For the 115th Congress (2017-2019), H.R. 5845 was the No Couches for Congress Act, introduced on May 16, 2018, but it did not receive a vote. For the 116th Congress (2019-2021), H.R. 5845 was the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, introduced on February 11, 2020, but it also did not receive a vote.

The No Couches for Congress Act

The bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, as well as the Committees on Rules and Ethics, for consideration within their respective jurisdictions. However, despite having 23 Democratic cosponsors, it ultimately did not receive a vote and died in Congress. This means that the proposed provisions did not become law.

It is important to note that while H.R. 5845 did not pass, similar provisions could still become law if included in another bill. This is a common occurrence in the legislative process, where related provisions are introduced concurrently in multiple bills or added to larger pieces of legislation.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020

The bill had several key components:

• Waste and Recycling Collection Systems: The bill set forth requirements for waste and recycling collection systems for a range of products and materials, including plastics. It aimed to improve the responsibility of producers in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of consumer products and packaging.
• Fiscal Responsibility for Producers: Producers of certain products, such as packaging, paper, single-use items, beverage containers, and food service products, would be held fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting their products after consumer use.
• Reuse, Recycling, and Composting Targets: The bill established minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted. It also set an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be included in beverage containers.
• Phase-out of Single-Use Products: Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill would phase out a range of single-use plastic products, such as plastic utensils.
• Encouraging Reduction of Single-Use Products: The bill proposed programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and a tax on carryout bags to reduce single-use product consumption.
• Moratorium on New Plastic Manufacturing Facilities: A temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for facilities that manufacture plastics would be implemented until regulations were updated to address pollution from these facilities.
• Standardized Labeling System: The Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for publishing guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers would be required to include labels on their products indicating whether they are recyclable, compostable, or reusable.
• Limitations on Plastic Waste Export: The bill aimed to restrict the export of plastic waste to other countries, addressing the issue of the United States generating more plastic waste than any other country.

The bill's sponsor

I found information about two bills with the number H.R. 5845.

The No Couches for Congress Act (2018; 115th Congress H.R. 5845)

The sponsor of this bill was the Representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district, a Democrat. The bill was introduced on May 16, 2018, but it did not receive a vote. The bill aimed to prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from using their congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations and to allow a deduction for living expenses incurred by Members of the House.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 (2020; 116th Congress H.R. 5845)

The sponsor of this bill was the Representative for California's 47th congressional district, also a Democrat. This bill was introduced on February 11, 2020, but it did not receive a vote. The bill aimed to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to reduce the production and use of certain single-use plastic products and packaging, to improve the responsibility of producers in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of their consumer products and packaging, and to prevent pollution from consumer products and packaging from entering into animal and human food chains and waterways.

I also found a reference to another bill, the SMART Energy Efficiency Standards Act, but could not find any information about its sponsor.

The bill's cosponsors

H.R.5845 has had several incarnations across different sessions of Congress. I found results for the 113th, 115th, and 116th Congresses.

The 113th Congress (2013-2014)

The bill, titled the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2014, was sponsored by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. [R-WI-5]. It had 6 cosponsors, including 5 original cosponsors:

• Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott [D-VA-3]
• Rep. Tim Ryan [D-OH-13]
• Rep. Karen Bass [D-CA-37]
• Rep. Tom Marino [R-PA-10]
• Rep. David P. Joyce [R-OH-14]
• Rep. Steve Chabot [R-OH-1]

The 115th Congress (2017-2018)

The bill, titled the No Couches for Congress Act, was sponsored by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson [D-MS-2]. It had 23 cosponsors, all of whom were original cosponsors:

• Rep. Marcia L. Fudge [D-OH-11]
• Rep. A. Donald McEachin [D-VA-4]
• Rep. James E. Clyburn [D-SC-6]
• Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman [D-NJ-12]
• Rep. Joyce Beatty [D-OH-3]
• Rep. Val Butler Demings [D-FL-10]
• Rep. Robin L. Kelly [D-IL-2]
• Rep. Alma S. Adams [D-NC-12]
• Rep. Karen Bass [D-CA-37]
• Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence [D-MI-14]
• Rep. Alcee L. Hastings [D-FL-20]
• Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester [D-DE-At Large]
• Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson [D-TX-30]
• Rep. Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. [D-GA-4]
• Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. [D-GA-2]
• Rep. Dwight Evans [D-PA-2]
• Rep. Elijah E. Cummings [D-MD-7]
• Rep. Emanuel Cleaver [D-MO-5]
• Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. [D-NJ-10]
• Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA-13]
• Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay [D-MO-1]
• Rep. Frederica S. Wilson [D-FL-24]
• Rep. Al Green [D-TX-9]

The 116th Congress (2019-2020)

The bill, titled the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, was sponsored by Rep. Alan S. Lowenthal [D-CA-47]. It had 94 cosponsors, including 29 original cosponsors:

• Rep. Katherine M. Clark [D-MA-5]
• Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN-9]
• Rep. Mike Quigley [D-IL-5]
• Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan [D-CA-44]
• Rep. Ed Case [D-HI-1]
• Rep. Gerald E. Connolly [D-VA-11]
• Rep. Eliot L. Engel [D-NY-16]
• Rep. Debra A. Haaland [D-NM-1]
• Rep. Alcee L. Hastings [D-FL-20]
• Rep. Jared Huffman [D-CA-2]
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal [D-WA-7]
• Rep. Ro Khanna [D-CA-17]
• Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA-13]
• Rep. Mike Levin [D-CA-49]
• Rep. Ted Lieu [D-CA-33]
• Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN-4]
• Rep. Seth Moulton [D-MA-6]
• Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton [D-DC-At Large]
• Rep. Jimmy Panetta [D-CA-20]
• Rep. Chellie Pingree [D-ME-1]
• Rep. Jamie Raskin [D-MD-8]
• Rep. Harley Rouda [D-CA-48]
• Rep. John P. Sarbanes [D-MD-3]
• Rep. Janice

The bill's status

H.R. 5845, or the No Couches for Congress Act, was a bill introduced in the 115th Congress on May 16, 2018. The bill did not receive a vote and died in Congress.

The bill's main purpose was to prohibit members of the House of Representatives from using their congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations. It also sought to amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for living expenses incurred by members of the House.

Although the bill did not become law, its provisions could still have become law by being included in another bill. This is a common occurrence, where legislative text is introduced concurrently in multiple bills (companion bills), re-introduced in subsequent Congresses, or added to larger bills (omnibus bills).

A similar bill with the same number, H.R. 5845 or the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, was introduced in the 116th Congress on February 11, 2020. This bill also did not receive a vote and died in Congress.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 aimed to reduce the production and use of certain single-use plastic products and improve producer responsibility in the design, collection, reuse, recycling, and disposal of consumer products and packaging. It set requirements for waste and recycling collection systems and established minimum percentages for product reuse, recycling, and composting. The bill also included provisions to phase out single-use products, encourage their reduction, and limit the export of plastic waste to other countries.

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