Bill Text: NJ S461 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Restricts phosphorus content and requires labelling thereof for household cleansing products.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S461 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S461-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Restricts phosphorus content and requires labelling thereof for household cleansing products.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning ingredients in household cleansing products and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Commercial establishment" means any premises used for the purpose of carrying on or exercising any trade, business, profession, vocation, or commercial or charitable activity, including but not limited to laundries, hospitals, retail establishments, and food or restaurant establishments.
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
"Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection.
"Household cleansing product" means any product, including but not limited to soaps and detergents, containing a surfactant as a wetting or dirt emulsifying agent and used primarily for domestic or commercial cleaning purposes, including but not limited to, the cleansing of fabrics, dishes, food utensils, and household and commercial premises. "Household cleansing product" shall not mean foods, drugs, cosmetics, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides, or cleansing products used primarily in industrial manufacturing, production, and assembling processes.
"Manufacturer" means the producer or generator of a household cleansing product which is distributed, sold, or offered for sale in the State.
2. a. No person may distribute, sell, or offer for sale in the State a household cleansing product unless the wrapper or container thereof is labeled in the manner required pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
b. The wrapper or container of each household cleansing product shall list the percentage by weight of phosphorous in the container and the weight, in grams per recommended use level, of phosphorous, and shall conform to any other requirements established therefor pursuant to rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section 6 of this act. Any analysis to determine the amount of phosphorous in the product that is to be included on the wrapper or container shall be performed by the manufacturer in accordance with rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section 6 of this act.
c. The commissioner may, by rule or regulation adopted pursuant to section 6 of this act, exempt products shipped or distributed in bulk from the provisions of this section.
d. Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on any news media that accept or publish advertising for a product that would otherwise be subject to the provisions of this section.
3. a. (1) No person may distribute, sell, or offer for sale in the State a household cleansing product which contains a phosphorus compound other than trace concentrations, as defined by the department pursuant to rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section 6 of this act, except as authorized pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection.
(2) A person may distribute, sell, or offer for sale in the State a household cleansing product for use in:
(a) dishwashers, which product contains a phosphorus compound not more than 0.5 percent by weight expressed as phosphorus; or
(b) food and beverage processing equipment and dairy equipment, which product contains a phosphorus compound not more than 8.7 percent by weight expressed as phosphorus.
b. No person owning, operating, or in control of a commercial establishment shall possess, use, or authorize any other person by way of service contract or other arrangement to possess or use in the commercial establishment any household cleansing product which contains a phosphorus compound in excess of the amount allowed for the product under subsection a. of this section.
c. Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on any news media that accept or publish advertising for a product that would otherwise be subject to the provisions of this section.
4. A person who violates any provision of this act shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 for each offense, to be collected in a civil action by summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). If the violation is of a continuing nature, each day during which it continues shall constitute an additional, separate, and distinct offense.
The Superior Court and the municipal court, as appropriate, shall have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999" pursuant to this section.
5. The department may adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to require each manufacturer of household cleansing products distributed, sold, or offered for sale in the State to submit, for the public record and on a form prescribed by the department, information regarding such products, including the nature and extent of investigations and research performed by the manufacturer concerning the effects of the products on human health and the environment. Any information submitted by a manufacturer pursuant to these rules and regulations shall be made available to the public and posted on the department's internet website, except for those portions the disclosure of which would be seriously prejudicial to the manufacturer's legitimate interest in protecting trade secrets and economics of operation, as determined by the manufacturer subject to the approval of the commissioner.
6. 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 for the purposes of implementing this act.
7. Sections 5 and 6 of this act shall take effect immediately and the remainder of this act shall take effect one year after the date of enactment, but the Commissioner of Environmental Protection may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would restrict the amount of phosphorus in household cleansing products and require wrappers and containers for such products to include certain information on phosphorous content.
The bill would prohibit the distribution, sale, or offer for sale in the State of any household cleansing product unless the product wrapper or container is labeled in accordance with the requirements of the bill. The bill would require a wrapper or container of a household cleansing product to list the percentage by weight of phosphorous in the container and the weight, in grams per recommended use level, of phosphorous, and conform to any other requirements established by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The bill would also generally prohibit any household cleansing product from being distributed, sold, or offered for sale in the State if it contains a phosphorus compound other than trace concentrations. However, a household cleansing product could be distributed, sold, or offered for sale in the State if it contains a phosphorus compound not more than: 0.5 percent by weight, for a product used in dishwashers; and 8.7 percent by weight for a product used in food and beverage processing equipment and dairy equipment. A person could distribute, sell, or offer for sale existing stock of household cleansing products only for a period of up to one year beyond the date of enactment of this bill into law.
A person who violates the labeling requirement or sale restrictions, set forth in section 2 and 3 of the bill, would be subject to a penalty of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 for each offense. If the violation is of a continuing nature, each day during which it continues would constitute an additional, separate, and distinct offense.
Under the bill, the DEP would be authorized to adopt rules and regulations to require manufacturers of household cleansing products to submit certain information to the DEP, which would also be posted on the DEP website.
