Battery Fire Prevention Act
Latest action (3 Oct 2025): Introduced
What this bill does
**What the bill would do.** H.R. 5686, the Battery Fire Prevention Act, would amend the tax code in several ways related to batteries. It would create a new 30% tax credit for businesses in the recycling trade that purchase devices using X-ray, artificial intelligence, radio-frequency identification, or other technology to detect batteries. It would also impose a new 5% excise tax on the sale of batteries by manufacturers, producers, or importers. Revenue from that tax would be deposited into a new "Lithium Battery Buy-Back Trust Fund." Using only that trust fund, the bill directs the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to jointly establish, within five years, a National Battery Recycling Program that approves recycling facilities, awards competitive grants so those facilities can offer financial incentives to people who turn in used lithium batteries, and encourages federal agencies to prioritize buying lithium batteries from approved facilities.
**Who it affects.** Recycling businesses could claim the new detector tax credit. Battery manufacturers, producers, and importers would pay the new sales tax, which could affect battery prices generally. Consumers who recycle lithium batteries could potentially receive incentives through approved facilities. Federal agencies purchasing lithium batteries would be encouraged to buy from approved recyclers.
**Status.** The bill was introduced October 3, 2025, by Rep. Donald Norcross and referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform. It has not yet been voted on and would require committee action, House and Senate passage, and presidential signature to become law.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on October 3, 2025. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 5686 do?
- **What the bill would do.** H.R. 5686, the Battery Fire Prevention Act, would amend the tax code in several ways related to batteries. It would create a new 30% tax credit for businesses in the recycling trade that purchase devices using X-ray, artificial intelligence, radio-frequency identification, or other technology to detect batteries. It would also impose a new 5% excise tax on the sale of batteries by manufacturers, producers, or importers. Revenue from that tax would be deposited into a new "Lithium Battery Buy-Back Trust Fund." Using only that trust fund, the bill directs the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to jointly establish, within five years, a National Battery Recycling Program that approves recycling facilities, awards competitive grants so those facilities can offer financial incentives to people who turn in used lithium batteries, and encourages federal agencies to prioritize buying lithium batteries from approved facilities. **Who it affects.** Recycling businesses could claim the new detector tax credit. Battery manufacturers, producers, and importers would pay the new sales tax, which could affect battery prices generally. Consumers who recycle lithium batteries could potentially receive incentives through approved facilities. Federal agencies purchasing lithium batteries would be encouraged to buy from approved recyclers. **Status.** The bill was introduced October 3, 2025, by Rep. Donald Norcross and referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform. It has not yet been voted on and would require committee action, House and Senate passage, and presidential signature to become law.
- Has H.R. 5686 become law?
- Not yet. As of 3 Oct 2025, H.R. 5686 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 5686?
- H.R. 5686 was sponsored by Rep. Donald Norcross [D-NJ1] (Democrat-NJ), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 5686?
- Introduced (3 Oct 2025).
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