D.C. Committee Advances Ban on Mercury Fluorescent Lamp Sales

Nov. 5, 2026 · Covers Oct. 29–Nov. 4, 2026

A D.C. Council committee advanced a bill that would end sales of screw- and bayonet-base compact fluorescent lamps on July 1, 2027, and pin-base and linear fluorescent lamps a year later. Four manufacturing bills moved this week and none passed a chamber, while a Virginia delegate said he will try to make the state’s buy-Virginia purchasing preference permanent.

What changed

• District of Columbia · B26-0361, Shine Safely Act of 2025, phases out sales of mercury-containing compact and linear fluorescent lamps · Cleared the Committee on Transportation and the Environment Nov. 4.
• U.S. Congress · H.R. 8183, MATCH Act of 2026, creates a Labor Department pilot for talent marketplaces and skills assessment tools under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act · Reported, amended, by House Education and Workforce Oct. 29.
• U.S. Congress · H.R. 10936, Eliminating Dangerous Color Additives Act, from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC-1) · Introduced Oct. 29. Two years after enactment, HHS would have to “deem as unsafe for use in or on food, drugs, devices, or cosmetics” every certified color additive and color additive lake.
• U.S. Congress · H.R. 10947, Monitor Microplastics Now Act, from Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) · Introduced Oct. 29. It would add “nanoplastics and microplastics that are not subject to a national primary drinking water regulation” to EPA’s sixth list of unregulated contaminants for monitoring.

No tariff, reshoring, domestic content, PFAS, chemical, emissions or apprenticeship bills changed status in Quorum this week.

The lead

District of Columbia B26-0361: mercury fluorescent lamps. Cleared committee Nov. 4. The details below come from the bill as introduced; the committee may have amended it.

The ban applies at the point of sale and distribution. It comes in two steps:

• July 1, 2027. No one may “offer for final sale, sell at final sale, or distribute in the District as a new manufactured product a screw or bayonet base type compact fluorescent lamp.”
• July 1, 2028. The same ban extends to “a pin-base type compact fluorescent lamp or a linear fluorescent lamp.”
• Who is exempt. Lamps made only for image capture and projection, germicidal and other high-UV uses, medical and research uses, and “the manufacturing or quality control of pharmaceutical products.” A compact fluorescent lamp that replaces one in a vehicle “manufactured on or before January 1, 2020” is also exempt.
• Enforcement. The Department of Energy and the Environment “shall conduct periodic inspections of distributors or retailers.” A first violation brings a Notice of Violation. A second brings “a civil penalty of up to $100 for each offense,” and later ones “not more than $500 for each offense.” A fifth goes to the Office of the Attorney General.

The bill’s introduction statement notes that “ten U.S. states have already enacted laws restricting the sale and distribution of mercury-containing fluorescent lighting.” If the Council passes it, the law takes effect only after the Mayor signs it and a 30-day congressional review.

U.S. Congress H.R. 8183: MATCH Act. Reported Oct. 29.

• The Secretary of Labor “shall establish a pilot program, for a period not to exceed 5 years, to award grants to eligible entities to create workforce longitudinal data systems, talent marketplaces, and associated resources.”
• Skills assessment tools would be open to employers, training providers, colleges, state workforce agencies and “registered apprenticeship sponsors.”
• Funding comes from existing WIOA allotments: the Secretary “shall use not less than 5 percent but not more than 10 percent of such funds” for the pilot.

Our read: D.C.’s ban falls on distributors and retailers, so lamp makers would feel it through the sellers DOEE inspects. Pin-base and linear lamps get one more year than screw- and bayonet-base bulbs. The MATCH Act is a general workforce bill. It reaches manufacturers mainly through skills-based hiring tools and apprenticeship sponsors.

In committee

Committee activity was light and mostly interim this week.

1. Virginia Manufacturing Development Commission, Nov. 4. VA Del. Michael Feggans (D-VA-097) said he wants to make permanent the 2024 law that gives Virginia manufacturers a preference in state purchasing. He said it “allows a 10% match” for Virginia companies and that he hopes to “bring this bill back next year.” The law was first set to expire in 2027 and was later extended by a year. Another commission member said the bill could require that beneficiaries “demonstrate they make something in Virginia,” and noted the idea was “unanimously endorsed” under the commission’s previous chair. Testimony at the same meeting relayed manufacturers’ concerns that “PJM capacity constraints” are “driving up capacity costs” and that “tariff features like standby charges” make “investing in behind the meter generation very challenging.” Chair Del. Rozia “J.R.” Henson (D-VA-019) said the commission will not meet in December unless new legislation comes before it. Meeting · Feggans · Commission member · Testimony

State & local spotlight

Two state-level actions stood out this week.

1. District of Columbia Committee on Transportation and the Environment, Nov. 4. Marked up B26-0361, the fluorescent lamp phase-out, alongside B26-0602 (GRID Amendment Act) and B26-0697. See The lead. Meeting
2. Virginia Manufacturing Development Commission, Nov. 4. Reviewed ideas for 2027 legislation, including a permanent state purchasing preference for Virginia manufacturers. See In committee.

Quorum found no formal local votes on manufacturing policy this week.

What lawmakers are saying

1. Tariffs: Republicans question the party line. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2), Nov. 4: “The President’s global tariffs were brutal to the GOP in the Midwest.” He added, “We should have never defended them.” ME Rep. Amy Arata (R-ME-104), the same day: “Will the rest of my party now join me in acknowledging that tariffs are bad for the economy?” Bacon · Arata
2. Tariff refunds for small businesses. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-3), Nov. 4: “Large corporations can fight in court to reclaim their tariff losses. Small businesses can’t.” She said she is “backing bipartisan legislation to ensure small businesses get back what they paid.” Her post does not name the bill. Post
3. Export-Import Bank. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Nov. 3: “If the Export-Import Bank of the United States authorization expires, it will set us back a long way.” He said his long-term reauthorization “will give small manufacturers a competitive edge.” His S. 3772, introduced Feb. 4, would extend the Bank’s authority from 2026 to 2036. Post

How often officials posted on these topics (Facebook and Instagram):

• 181 posts by officials mentioned “manufacturing,” down from 261 the prior week.
• 111 posts mentioned “tariffs,” down from 117.
• 14 posts mentioned “PFAS,” down from 32.

Election posts made up much of this week’s volume around the Nov. 3 election.

What to watch

• July 1, 2027: D.C.’s ban on screw- and bayonet-base compact fluorescent lamps would begin under B26-0361, if enacted as introduced.
• July 1, 2028: The ban would extend to pin-base compact and linear fluorescent lamps.

No hearings are on the calendar through Dec. 5 for B26-0361 or H.R. 8183. Virginia’s Manufacturing Development Commission does not plan to meet in December unless new legislation comes before it.

Movement

Source: Quorum legislative data, Oct. 29–Nov. 4, 2026. Each bill is counted once, at its furthest step this week. Track bills like these with Quorum State and Quorum Federal.