Title: An act relating to reducing the environmental impact of cleaning in state facilities.

Brief Description: Reducing the environmental impact of cleaning state facilities.

Sponsors: Representatives Simpson, B. Sullivan and Chase.

Brief History:

Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks: 2/24/05, 2/28/05 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, ECOLOGY & PARKS

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 6 members: Representatives B. Sullivan, Chair; Upthegrove, Vice Chair; Blake, Dickerson, Hunt and Williams.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 4 members: Representatives Buck, Ranking Minority Member; Kretz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Eickmeyer and Orcutt.

Staff: Jeff Olsen (786-7157).

Background:

The Department of General Administration (Department) coordinates state agencies' purchases and sales of goods and services. The Director of the Department must establish overall state policy for determining where and when an item in the state supply system should be stocked. In addition, the Director of the Department must develop state goals for using recycled or environmentally preferable products.

The Secretary of the Department of Health must periodically review personal health and sanitation conditions at state owned or contracted institutions and facilities. The Department of Ecology is established as the state agency with the authority to carry out an integrated and coordinated program of pollution control.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

All state agencies must purchase and use cleaning products having properties that minimize potential impacts to human health and the environment. The Department, in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Ecology, must provide guidance to state agencies to:

1.   select and purchase products and use practices that reduce or minimize the risks of harmful effects to employees, custodial workers, visitors, and other building occupants and to the environment;
2.   promote adoption of cleaning practices that reduce or minimize these risks;
3.   recognize state agencies that adopt and implement environmentally beneficial facility and workplace management policies and practices;
4.   encourage contractors supplying goods and services to state agencies to use such products; and
5.   encourage lessors and building managers who provide leased space to state agencies to select and use such products.

State agencies must purchase environmentally preferred products or document the reasons for selecting alternative products. Such products must conform to guidance for environmentally preferred purchasing of cleaning products developed by the Department. State agencies must transition to approved cleaning products within six months of the effective date of the Act in a manner that avoids waste of existing inventories, and allows for proper establishment of supplies and training.

State agencies must prepare a report and list on the Department website the products purchased that are not on the preferred list, along with reasons why they were not selected. A state agency that purchases and uses only environmentally preferred products during the biennium is not required to submit the report.

Local governments and school districts are encouraged to review their purchasing and use of cleaning products and select those products having properties that minimize potential impacts to human health and the environment. The Department must encourage local government and school purchasing of preferred products if the entity is part of the Department's purchasing pool.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill removes the requirement that each state agency must assign an individual within the agency who must assess current facility management practices and use of cleaning products, evaluate whether these products conform to the new requirements, identify and purchase conforming cleaning products, and document the reasons for selecting products that do not conform. The substitute bill requires agencies to list on the Department Web site the products purchased that are not on the preferred list, along with reasons why they were not selected. The substitute bill requires the Department to encourage local governments and school purchasing of preferred products if the entity is part of the Department's purchasing pool. The substitute bill removes the requirement that within one year, the Department and the chief executive of each state agency must prepare an assessment of the efforts undertaken to comply with the new requirements.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: (In support of original bill) Cleaning products can be a significant source of indoor air pollution, and choosing environmentally-friendly cleaning products has little significant difference in cost.

(With concerns on original bill) Most agencies already buy these products, and the purchasing guidelines were produced with help from the Department of Health. Expanding these efforts can only be a good thing. The products are widely available, and the costs of implementing the bill can be reduced while still providing accountability.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: (In support of original bill) Representative Simpson, prime sponsor.

(With concerns on original bill) Martin Casey, General Administration.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.