House File 823 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY McCARTHY (COMPANION TO LSB 2716XS BY GRONSTAL) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act requiring public schools and state agencies to utilize 2 environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance products 3 in school facilities and state buildings. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2716YH 83 6 rn/nh/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 135.23 BUILDING CLEANING AND 1 2 MAINTENANCE == ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE CLEANING PRODUCTS. 1 3 1. FINDINGS AND INTENT. The general assembly finds that 1 4 human beings are vulnerable to and may be severely affected by 1 5 exposure to chemicals, hazardous waste, and other 1 6 environmental hazards. The federal environmental protection 1 7 agency estimates that human exposure to indoor air pollutants 1 8 can be two to five times, and up to one hundred times, higher 1 9 than outdoor levels. Children, teachers, janitors, and other 1 10 staff members spend a significant amount of time inside school 1 11 buildings. Likewise, state employees and citizens of this 1 12 state spend a significant amount of time inside state 1 13 buildings. These individuals are continuously exposed to 1 14 chemicals from cleaners, waxes, deodorizers, and other 1 15 maintenance products. 1 16 2. DEFINITIONS. As used in this section, unless the 1 17 context otherwise requires: 1 18 a. "Environmentally preferable" means cleaning and 1 19 maintenance products which meet the policy guidelines and 1 20 specifications established by the department by rule pursuant 1 21 to subsection 4. 1 22 b. "State building" means a public facility or building 1 23 owned by or leased by the state, or an agency or department of 1 24 the state. 1 25 3. USE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE CLEANING PRODUCTS. 1 26 By July 1, 2010, all school districts in this state, and state 1 27 agencies utilizing state buildings, shall conform to an 1 28 environmentally preferable cleaning policy requiring the 1 29 exclusive purchase and use of environmentally preferable 1 30 cleaning products for purposes of public school and state 1 31 building cleaning and maintenance. School districts and state 1 32 agencies procuring supplies for schools and state buildings 1 33 may deplete their existing cleaning and maintenance supply 1 34 stocks and implement the new requirements in the procurement 1 35 cycle for the following year. A school district or state 2 1 agency is exempt from the requirements of this section if the 2 2 school district or state agency submits written documentation 2 3 to the department on an annual basis that adoption of the 2 4 policy would result in a significant increase in annual 2 5 cleaning and maintenance product and supply costs. 2 6 4. POLICY GUIDELINES AND SPECIFICATIONS. 2 7 a. The department shall establish by rule and update on an 2 8 annual basis thereafter guidelines and specifications for the 2 9 use of environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance 2 10 products in school and state buildings, and shall maintain a 2 11 list of approved products, together with estimated costs and 2 12 supply vendors. 2 13 b. The department shall provide multiple avenues by which 2 14 cleaning and maintenance products, equipment, and supplies may 2 15 be determined to be environmentally preferable under the 2 16 guidelines and specifications. At a minimum, such avenues
2 17 shall include the United States environmental protection 2 18 agency's design for the environment program, the ecologo 2 19 program administered by the terrachoice environmental 2 20 marketing organization, environmental certification standards 2 21 established pursuant to the green seal organization, and 2 22 alternative qualifications. Alternative qualifications may 2 23 include but not be limited to submission of testing by an 2 24 accredited third party which verifies that the product meets 2 25 nationally recognized standards. Alternative qualifications 2 26 may also include submission of a comparative life=cycle 2 27 assessment conducted in accordance with applicable standards 2 28 as determined by the international organization for 2 29 standardization or any successor organization, and which 2 30 demonstrates life=cycle impact benefits including but not 2 31 limited to benefits to human health, global warming reduction, 2 32 waste reduction, or water or energy usage reduction, 2 33 associated with the environmentally preferable cleaning 2 34 product when compared to traditional cleaning products. 2 35 c. The guidelines and specifications established pursuant 3 1 to this section shall not prohibit the use of disinfectants, 3 2 disinfecting cleaners, sanitizers, or any other antimicrobial 3 3 product regulated by the federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 3 4 Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. } 136 et seq., when necessary to 3 5 protect public health and provided that the use of these 3 6 products is in accordance with responsible cleaning procedure 3 7 requirements. 3 8 d. Guidelines and specifications shall be established by 3 9 rule after a review and evaluation of existing research by the 3 10 department, and shall be completed no later than one hundred 3 11 eighty days after the effective date of this Act. The 3 12 guidelines and specifications shall include implementation 3 13 practices, including inspection procedures and evaluation 3 14 criteria. The completed guidelines and specifications shall 3 15 be posted and updated on the department's internet website, 3 16 and shall additionally be distributed on an updated basis to 3 17 each school district. 3 18 Sec. 2. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 3 19 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 3 20 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 3 21 be paid by a public school district from state school 3 22 foundation aid received by the school district under section 3 23 257.16. This specification of the payment of the state cost 3 24 shall be deemed to meet all of the state funding=related 3 25 requirements of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional 3 26 state funding shall be necessary for the full implementation 3 27 of this Act by and enforcement of this Act against all 3 28 affected school districts. 3 29 EXPLANATION 3 30 This bill requires school districts and state agencies to 3 31 purchase and utilize environmentally preferable cleaning 3 32 products for purposes of cleaning and maintenance beginning 3 33 July 1, 2010. The bill defines a "state building" as a public 3 34 facility or building owned or leased by the state, or an 3 35 agency or department of the state. The bill provides that a 4 1 school district or a state agency procuring supplies for a 4 2 school or state building may deplete its existing cleaning and 4 3 maintenance supply stocks and implement the new requirements 4 4 in the procurement cycle for the following year, and shall be 4 5 exempt from compliance if the school district or state agency 4 6 submits written documentation to the department of public 4 7 health on an annual basis that adoption of the policy would 4 8 result in a significant increase in annual cleaning and 4 9 maintenance product and supply costs. 4 10 The bill provides that the department shall establish by 4 11 rule and annually update a policy of guidelines and 4 12 specifications for the use of environmentally preferable 4 13 cleaning products, and shall maintain a list of approved 4 14 products, estimated costs, and supply vendors. The department 4 15 is instructed to provide multiple avenues by which cleaning 4 16 products may be determined to be environmentally sensitive and 4 17 nontoxic, to include in the guidelines implementation 4 18 practices and inspection procedures, and to post on the 4 19 department's internet website and distribute to each school 4 20 updated copies of the policy. 4 21 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 4 22 section 25B.3. The bill requires, with respect to public 4 23 school districts, that the state cost of any state mandate 4 24 included in the bill be paid by a school district from state 4 25 school foundation aid received by the district under Code 4 26 section 257.16. This specification is deemed to constitute 4 27 state compliance with any state mandate funding=related
4 28 requirements of Code section 25B.2. The inclusion of this 4 29 specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of 4 30 political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates 4 31 included in the bill. 4 32 LSB 2716YH 83 4 33 rn/nh/5.1