Methodology
Safer States used Fiscal Note, a policy tracking software, to identify policies introduced in state legislatures. Policies were reviewed to assess whether they advanced one or more of the Essential Elements of effective chemical policy: transparency, banning the bad, promoting safer solutions, and accountability. In addition, key regulatory actions and anticipated policies identified through state-based advocates were included.
Policies that include unscientific definitions of PFAS or exempt certain types of PFAS (i.e. plastic PFAS or PFAS gases) were not included.
As of February 9, 2026, this analysis includes policies introduced in 2026, policies introduced in 2025 that remain active, anticipated policies for 2026, and regulatory actions that implement previously enacted laws. To fully capture the volume of legislative engagement, each companion bill—even when identical in content but assigned different bill numbers in separate chambers—was counted as an individual bill.
Some policies discussed represent components of broader legislative or regulatory frameworks and are analyzed accordingly.
