Public Act 0084 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0895 Enrolled LRB095 07718 NHT 27876 b

Public Act 095-0084

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green Cleaning Schools Act.

Section 5. Legislative findings. Children are vulnerable to and may be severely affected by exposure to chemicals, hazardous waste, and other environmental hazards. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates that human exposure to indoor air pollutants can be 2 to 5 times and up to 100 times higher than outdoor levels. Children, teachers, janitors, and other staff members spend a significant amount of time inside school buildings and are continuously exposed to chemicals from cleaners, waxes, deodorizers, and other maintenance products.

Section 10. Use of green cleaning supplies. By no later than 90 days after implementation of the guidelines and specifications established under Section 15 of this Act or thereafter when it is economically feasible, all elementary and secondary public schools and all elementary and secondary non-public schools with 50 or more students shall establish a green cleaning policy and exclusively purchase and use environmentally-sensitive cleaning products pursuant to the guidelines and specifications established under Section 15 of this Act. However, a school may deplete its existing cleaning and maintenance supply stocks and implement the new requirements in the procurement cycle for the following school year.

For the purposes of this Section, adopting a green cleaning policy is not economically feasible if such adoption would result in an increase in the cleaning costs of the school. If adopting a green cleaning policy is not economically feasible, the school must provide annual written notification to the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council (IGGCC), on a form provided by the IGGCC, that the development and implementation of a green cleaning policy is not economically feasible until such time that it is economically feasible.

Section 15. Green cleaning supply guidelines and specifications. The Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council (IGGCC) shall, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, the State Board of Education, regional offices of education, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and a panel of interested stakeholders, including cleaning product industry representatives, non-governmental organizations, and others, establish and amend on an annual basis guidelines and specifications for environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products for use in school facilities. The IGGCC shall provide multiple avenues by which cleaning products may be determined to be environmentally-sensitive under the guidelines. Guidelines and specifications must be established after a review and evaluation of existing research and must be completed no later than 180 days after the effective date of this Act. Guidelines and specifications may include implementation practices, including inspection. The completed guidelines and specifications must be posted on the IGGCC's Internet website.

Section 20. Dissemination to schools.

(a) Upon the completion of the guidelines and specifications under Section 15 of this Act, the IGGCC shall provide each regional office of education and each elementary or secondary non-public school with 50 or more students in this State with the guidelines and specifications. Each regional office of education shall immediately disseminate the guidelines and specifications to every public school in the educational service region. Regional offices of education and the IGGCC shall provide on-going assistance to schools to carry out the requirements of this Act.

(b) In the event that the guidelines and specifications under Section 15 of this Act are updated by the IGGCC, the IGGCC shall provide the updates to each regional office of education for immediate dissemination to each public school. Additionally, the IGGCC shall post all updated materials on its Internet website.

Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding Section 8.31 as follows:

(30 ILCS 805/8.31 new)

Sec. 8.31. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required for the implementation of any mandate created by the Green Cleaning Schools Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/13/2007