HF 3491 Summary

• Prohibits advertising, packaging, or labeling nonwoven disposable products (bathroom/toileting items) as "flushable," "septic safe," or "sewer safe" unless they meet Federal Trade Commission flushability tests or the most recent INDA code of practice approved by the Pollution Control Agency.

• Requires all nonwoven disposable products sold in Minnesota to comply with the most recent INDA labeling standards approved by the Pollution Control Agency commissioner.

• Establishes civil penalties of $100 per prepackaged unit for violations, up to a maximum of $5,000 per violation, with enforcement authority granted to the Attorney General.

• Exempts broadcasting stations, newspapers, and other publishers from liability for advertising such products, and exempts wholesalers and retailers that do not package or label the products themselves.

• Provides a transition period allowing manufacturers to exhaust existing stock of non-compliant products through January 1, 2025, with the law taking effect August 1, 2025.