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Public Act 095-0084
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| HB0895 Enrolled |
LRB095 07718 NHT 27876 b |
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green |
Cleaning Schools Act.
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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.
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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 |
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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.
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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 |
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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.
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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.
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