The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held its legislative hearing on July 22, 2026. The PACK Act (H.R. 6832), which would create FTC-administered federal labeling standards, and the Recycled Materials Attribution Act (H.R. 7502) were 2 of 12 bills on a broad consumer protection docket rather than the subjects of a dedicated packaging hearing. John Hewitt of the Consumer Brands Association and the Recycling Leadership Council testified in support of both; John Breyault of the National Consumers League opposed both, arguing the PACK Act would preempt state labeling standards without a strong federal baseline and that the RMAA would legitimize mass balance accounting. No markup, vote, or next step was announced, and both bills remain referred to committee with no action recorded. Producers should note the preemption design: the bill as introduced bars any state or local requirement that is not identical with the federal requirement, which makes the federal standard a ceiling as well as a floor. (Corrected October 12, 2026.) The California law the PACK Act would displace, SB 343, is itself currently enjoined. Source:
House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing docket, EventID 119489;
Packaging Dive (July 23, 2026).
Update, September 24, 2026: this was accurate when published. Both bills were forwarded from subcommittee by voice vote on September 1, 2026 and reported to the full House by the Energy and Commerce Committee on September 16, 2026, the PACK Act (H.R. 6832) 25 to 18 and the RMAA (H.R. 7502) 28 to 19 (Energy and Commerce Committee releases, September 1 and September 16, 2026).