Bill Text: CA AB2570 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: School facilities: Clean and Healthy Schools Act: environmentally preferable cleaning and cleaning maintenance products.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-08-16 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB2570 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB2570-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 17, 2018 |
Assembly Bill | No. 2570 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Nazarian |
February 15, 2018 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SECTION 1.SEC. 2.
Article 5 (commencing with Section 17615) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 10.5 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education
Code, to read:Article 5. Clean and Healthy Schools Act
17615.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Clean and Healthy Schools Act.The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)Children are vulnerable to, and may be severely affected by, exposure to chemicals, hazardous waste, and other environmental hazards. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that human exposure to indoor air pollutants can be two to five times and up to 100 times more hazardous than outdoor levels, and that one-half of schools in the United States have poor indoor air quality. The State Air Resources Board has found significant indoor air quality problems in California’s portable and traditional classrooms.
(b)Pupils, teachers, janitors, and
other staff members spend a significant amount of time inside school buildings, during which time they are exposed to cleaners and cleaning maintenance products. Many cleaners and cleaning maintenance products contain known carcinogens, reproductive toxins, chemicals that cause asthma, and other hazardous ingredients.
(c)Asthma is the primary cause of school absences due to chronic disease in the United States, and is the leading cause of hospitalization for children under 15 years of age in California.
(d)In 2014, the State Department of Public Health published a report urging schools to switch to cleaning products that are asthma-safe. The State Department of Public Health also warned that conventional cleaning products may contain chemicals associated with cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption.
(e)Section 12400 of the Public Contract Code defines “environmentally preferable purchasing” as the procurement or acquisition of goods and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods or services that serve the same purpose.
(f)The benefits of cleaner indoor air in schools have been shown to reduce the incidence of asthma, allergies, and absenteeism in pupils, as well as increase teacher retention rates and reduce workers’ compensation
claims. The use of environmentally preferable cleaning and cleaning maintenance products contributes to cleaner indoor air quality.
(g)Third-party, independent, voluntary certification programs exist that set standards for, and evaluate, environmentally preferable cleaning and cleaning maintenance products, and current standards establish environmental requirements for industrial and institutional general purpose, restroom, glass, carpet cleaners, floor
care products, and handsoaps, intended for routine cleaning of offices, schools, and institutions, and include consideration of vulnerable populations in institutional settings, such as schools and day care facilities. Under these standards, paint is not used as a general purpose product for cleaning of school facilities. Products certified under these standards cannot contain carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, ingredients that cause asthma, ingredients that are corrosive to skin and eyes, heavy metals, including lead, hexavalent chromium, or selenium, either in elemental form or compounds, 2-butoxyethanol, alkylphenol ethoxylates, phthalates, ozone-depleting chemicals, or optical brighteners. The standards also establish specific limits on ingredients for acute toxicity, skin absorption, volatile organic compound content, inhalation toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, bioaccumulating
compounds, biodegradability, eutrophication, combustibility, and fragrances. The standards define requirements for concentrates, dispensing systems, packaging, recyclability, labeling, and training. Standards are revised periodically and may apply to additional categories of products. Currently, the standards do not apply to cleaners for household use, food preparation operations, or medical facilities, and do not apply to air fresheners, enzymatic, or microbially active products required to be registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. Sec. 136 et seq.), such as those making claims as disinfectants or sanitizers.
(h)The enactment of Senate Bill 258 (Chapter 830 of the Statutes of 2017) will aid school districts in identifying products that do not contain harmful chemicals. Senate Bill 258 mandates disclosure
of hazardous chemicals in a wide range of cleaning and cleaning maintenance products, even if the ingredient is part of a trade secret formula.
(i)Existing law establishes the public school system, imposes various safety requirements, and provides state funding to school districts that contribute to operating budgets that already include janitorial programs. Schools are encouraged to use the State of California Procurement Contract to purchase environmentally preferable cleaning and cleaning maintenance products to maximize the available discounts and avoid developing their own separate bids.
(j)The State Department of Public Health asserts green cleaning products save money or cost the same as conventional cleaning products, as well as reduce health costs.
17615.2.17615.1.
As used in this article, the following definitions apply:(6)Requires periodic revisions and updates of the
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