Bill Text: NJ A1240 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes pilot program in DEP for chemical cleanouts in schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [A1240 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1240-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA STENDER
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program in DEP for chemical cleanouts in schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act establishing the "Schools Chemical Cleanout Pilot Program" in the Department of Environmental Protection.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of Environmental Protection the "Schools Chemical Cleanout Pilot Program" to be administered by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection pursuant to the provisions of this act. The purpose of the program shall be to implement a chemically safer school environment. The pilot program shall develop and implement preventative activities within the schools that shall include, but shall not be limited to,:
(1) storage of chemicals by class and in appropriate storage units;
(2) proper disposal of chemicals in the future;
(3) restricted access to chemicals;
(4) availability of spill procedures and kits for major hazardous chemical classes;
(5) adoption of micro-scale or green chemistry approaches to laboratory experiments;
(6) policies restricting the acceptance of unnecessary donated chemicals; and
(7) commitment to make entire facility a chemically safer school environment.
b. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall develop and administer the program on a pilot basis. The Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall identify two school districts willing to volunteer to participate in the pilot program. No later than 18 months after the establishment of the program, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall report to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of the pilot program and present recommendations for continuing and, if appropriate, expanding the pilot program.
2. The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would establish a "Schools Chemical Cleanout Pilot Program" in the Department of Environmental Protection. The purpose of the program shall be to implement a chemically safer school environment. The Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall identify two school districts willing to volunteer to participate in the pilot program. No later than 18 months after the establishment of the program, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall report to the Governor the Legislature on the effectiveness of the pilot program and present recommendations for continuing and, if appropriate, expanding the pilot program.
Every year, throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on school incidents involving chemicals such as spills and fires. In 2004, the United States Environmental Protection Agency established the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) to address this issue by cleaning out excess, legacy, unused and improperly stored chemicals and implementing preventative mechanisms in schools.
