Bill · S. 5486· Senate(119-S-5486)
A bill to amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to exclude from eligibility each sub-Saharan African country that does not effectively enforce its environmental laws and fulfill its international environmental obligations.
- Introduced
- 9/23/2026
- Last activity
- 9/23/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sponsored by
- Sheldon Whitehouse
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill proposes a change to the African Growth and Opportunity Act. It aims to exclude any sub-Saharan African country from being eligible if they do not effectively enforce their environmental laws. The bill also requires these countries to fulfill their international environmental obligations. These obligations include matters related to public health. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Mr. Whitehouse on September 23, 2026. It was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+6
The legislation directly conditions trade benefits on the enforcement of environmental laws and regulations.
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?+5
Requiring sub-Saharan African countries to effectively enforce environmental laws helps reduce climate pollution.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+3
Conditioning trade eligibility on fulfilling international environmental obligations related to public health promotes better health protections.
The opposite
Would immigrants be better off under this?-2
Exclusion of countries from trade eligibility could negatively impact local economies and livelihoods in those regions.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Better Public Health and Environmental Protection: Under Section 1(a), sub-Saharan African countries must effectively enforce their environmental laws and fulfill international environmental obligations that relate to public health in order to be eligible under the Act. This could be seen as positive because it encourages better protection of the environment and public health for people living in those regions.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Exclusion from Trade Eligibility: Under Section 1(a), countries that fail to effectively enforce their environmental laws or fulfill international environmental obligations will be excluded from eligibility. This could potentially burden individuals or groups in those countries if losing trade eligibility negatively impacts their local economies or livelihoods.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+6Reduces Carbon Emissions+5
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Immigrants-2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+2
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Alliances+2
- 9/23/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.