WeVote
Log In

Bill

JA

Bill

HB 5897

Environmental protection: hazardous waste; Michigan PFAS action response team; establish. Creates new act.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Joey Andrews and 37 co-sponsors

Creates MPART to coordinate Michigan agencies and partners in identifying, cleaning up, and communicating about PFAS contamination and mitigation.

bill electronically reproduced 04/23/2026
#environmentalprotection:hazardouswaste #stateagencies(existing):environmentalquality
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 5897

Summary of HB 5897 (Michigan, 2025-2026)

Title

Michigan PFAS Action Response Team Act

Purpose and Intent

  • Establishes a dedicated Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) to coordinate state and local responses to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination.
  • Provides MPART with structured authority, staffing assistance, and procedures to identify, mitigate, and communicate about PFAS issues across state government and with external partners.

Key Provisions

Establishment and Membership

  • Creates MPART as a formal state entity.
  • Members include:
    • Director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
    • Director of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
    • Director of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
    • Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
    • Director of the Department of Natural Resources
    • Director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
    • Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation
  • A director’s designee may serve as a member; the department director or designee acts as MPART chair.

Roles and Staffing

  • The hosting department assists MPART and provides staff.
  • MPART’s budgeting, procurement, and related management functions are under the direction of the EGLE Director.
  • MPART must adopt procedures consistent with applicable law to govern its operations.
  • Quorum: a majority of MPART members; official actions require a majority of those present.
  • MPART may establish advisory workgroups and may adopt or modify recommendations from those groups.
  • Members serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary travel and expenses under applicable rules and funding.
  • MPART may accept donations and must expend them in accordance with law and procedures.
  • MPART coordinates legal, legislative, and media contacts related to its work.

Powers and Duties (Section 7)

  • MPART provides recommendations to the department heads and coordinates inter-agency activities.
  • Responsibilities related to PFAS:
    • Identify PFAS-affected sites and develop/action plans to ensure safe land, air, and water.
    • Develop site-specific environmental plans and response protocols for PFAS-contaminated sites.
    • Develop public health protocols ensuring stakeholders are informed and integrated.
    • Conduct public outreach to residents, local governments, tribal governments, and partners.
    • Plan long-term mitigation, identify resource needs, and ensure contaminant removal as appropriate.
    • Establish information-sharing processes within MPART and with stakeholders; maintain routine communications with local, executive, and legislative bodies.
    • Create public information protocols about PFAS and MPART activities.
    • Establish information sharing with other state and federal entities involved in PFAS response.
    • Develop health-impact standards for affected populations.
    • Assess contamination site status and develop individualized response strategies.
    • Identify funding sources (federal grants, appropriations, private partnerships).
    • Set measurable goals and timelines; recommend changes to state PFAS laws and potential structural changes to address other environmental/public health threats.
    • Perform other duties as requested by the department director or governor.
  • MPART may conduct inquiries, studies, investigations, hearings, and consult with federal agencies; may hire outside experts and retain contractors as needed, subject to laws and funding.

Access to Information

  • All state departments, committees, and officers must provide MPART and its members access to necessary assistance and records related to MPART inquiries.

Funding and Effective Date

  • The act authorizes actions and staffing aligned with existing statutes; the bill itself states the act takes effect 90 days after enactment.

Who Is Affected

  • State agencies listed as MPART members (and their staff) gain new interagency coordination responsibilities.
  • Local governments, tribal governments, businesses, public health entities, and residents in PFAS-affected areas are affected through MPART-driven outreach, information sharing, and remediation planning.
  • The public may experience enhanced transparency and communication regarding PFAS sites and mitigation efforts.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Enactment: 90 days after the act is enacted into law.
  • Administrative flow: MPART is created within the executive framework; it coordinates interagency actions and staffing via EGLE.
  • Meetings and actions: Governed by MPART’s adopted procedures; requires a majority vote for official actions; can form advisory groups and issue recommendations.
  • Funding: MPART may rely on federal grants, state appropriations, and private donations; donations must be used per applicable rules.

Notable Details

  • PFAS definition aligns with a broad class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.
  • MPART emphasizes proactive communication, public health integration, and long-term mitigation planning.
  • The act formalizes cross-agency cooperation to address PFAS comprehensively, including potential legal and policy changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.