A Second Federal Labeling Bill Lands, and This One Would Not Preempt State Law

The Truth in Labeling Act of 2026 was introduced on August 6, 2026 as H.R. 10048 (Rep. J. Luis Correa, D-CA-46) and S. 5302 (Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-OR), referred to House Energy and Commerce and Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation respectively. It would set national standards for recyclable, compostable, reusable and refillable claims, enforced through the FTC Act, and it is explicitly non-preemptive of state law, with one narrow exception: section 4(c) would preempt state resin identification code requirements that conflict with the federal code (savings clause at section 11(f)(4); bill text read at govinfo, August 16, 2026). That puts two competing federal labeling frameworks in the same House committee, since the PACK Act (H.R. 6832) would preempt state labeling laws including California SB 343. Neither has been marked up. What this means for you: nothing to comply with. This matters as a directional signal on whether recyclability labeling ends up as a federal ceiling or a federal floor, which decides whether your state-by-state artwork work is durable. Source: Resource Recycling (August 10, 2026).