|
|
|
HB0895 Engrossed |
|
LRB095 07718 NHT 27876 b |
|
|
1 |
| AN ACT concerning education.
|
2 |
| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
|
3 |
| represented in the General Assembly:
|
4 |
| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green |
5 |
| Cleaning Schools Act. |
6 |
| Section 5. Legislative findings. Children are vulnerable |
7 |
| to and may be severely affected by exposure to chemicals, |
8 |
| hazardous waste, and other environmental hazards. The Federal |
9 |
| Environmental Protection Agency estimates that human exposure |
10 |
| to indoor air pollutants can be 2 to 5 times and up to 100 times |
11 |
| higher than outdoor levels. Children, teachers, janitors, and |
12 |
| other staff members spend a significant amount of time inside |
13 |
| school buildings and are continuously exposed to chemicals from |
14 |
| cleaners, waxes, deodorizers, and other maintenance products. |
15 |
| Section 10. Use of green cleaning supplies. By no later |
16 |
| than 90 days after implementation of the guidelines and |
17 |
| specifications established under Section 15 of this Act or |
18 |
| thereafter when it is economically feasible, all elementary and |
19 |
| secondary public schools and all elementary and secondary |
20 |
| non-public schools with 50 or more students shall establish a |
21 |
| green cleaning policy and exclusively purchase and use |
22 |
| environmentally-sensitive cleaning products pursuant to the |
|
|
|
HB0895 Engrossed |
- 2 - |
LRB095 07718 NHT 27876 b |
|
|
1 |
| guidelines and specifications established under Section 15 of |
2 |
| this Act. However, a school may deplete its existing cleaning |
3 |
| and maintenance supply stocks and implement the new |
4 |
| requirements in the procurement cycle for the following school |
5 |
| year. |
6 |
| For the purposes of this Section, adopting a green cleaning |
7 |
| policy is not economically feasible if such adoption would |
8 |
| result in an increase in the cleaning costs of the school. If |
9 |
| adopting a green cleaning policy is not economically feasible, |
10 |
| the school must provide annual written notification to the |
11 |
| Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council (IGGCC), on a |
12 |
| form provided by the IGGCC, that the development and |
13 |
| implementation of a green cleaning policy is not economically |
14 |
| feasible until such time that it is economically feasible. |
15 |
| Section 15. Green cleaning supply guidelines and |
16 |
| specifications. The Illinois Green Government Coordinating |
17 |
| Council (IGGCC) shall, in consultation with the Department of |
18 |
| Public Health, the State Board of Education, regional offices |
19 |
| of education, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, |
20 |
| and a panel of interested stakeholders, including cleaning |
21 |
| product industry representatives, non-governmental |
22 |
| organizations, and others, establish and amend on an annual |
23 |
| basis guidelines and specifications for |
24 |
| environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products |
25 |
| for use in school facilities. The IGGCC shall provide multiple |
|
|
|
HB0895 Engrossed |
- 3 - |
LRB095 07718 NHT 27876 b |
|
|
1 |
| avenues by which cleaning products may be determined to be |
2 |
| environmentally-sensitive under the guidelines. Guidelines and |
3 |
| specifications must be established after a review and |
4 |
| evaluation of existing research and must be completed no later |
5 |
| than 180 days after the effective date of this Act. Guidelines |
6 |
| and specifications may include implementation practices, |
7 |
| including inspection. The completed guidelines and |
8 |
| specifications must be posted on the IGGCC's Internet website. |
9 |
| Section 20. Dissemination to schools. |
10 |
| (a) Upon the completion of the guidelines and |
11 |
| specifications under Section 15 of this Act, the IGGCC shall |
12 |
| provide each regional office of education and each elementary |
13 |
| or secondary non-public school with 50 or more students in this |
14 |
| State with the guidelines and specifications. Each regional |
15 |
| office of education shall immediately disseminate the |
16 |
| guidelines and specifications to every public school in the |
17 |
| educational service region. Regional offices of education and |
18 |
| the IGGCC shall provide on-going assistance to schools to carry |
19 |
| out the requirements of this Act. |
20 |
| (b) In the event that the guidelines and specifications |
21 |
| under Section 15 of this Act are updated by the IGGCC, the |
22 |
| IGGCC shall provide the updates to each regional office of |
23 |
| education for immediate dissemination to each public school. |
24 |
| Additionally, the IGGCC shall post all updated materials on its |
25 |
| Internet website. |