BILL REQ. #:  S-0790.1 

Read first time 01/24/2005.   Referred to Committee on Water, Energy & Environment.

     AN ACT Relating to integrated pest management; amending RCW 17.15.010 and 17.15.030; and adding a new section to chapter 17.15 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 17.15.010 and 1997 c 357 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
     (1) "Integrated pest management" means a coordinated decision-making and action process that uses the most appropriate pest control ((methods and strategy in an environmentally and economically sound manner to meet agency programmatic pest management objectives)) science and methods to produce long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems in a cost-effective manner with minimum impact on human health, the environment, and nontarget organisms, in order to avoid unacceptable damage to agency programs and property and to the health and welfare of the citizens of the state. The elements of integrated pest management include:
     (a) Preventing pest problems through sanitation, habitat modification, cultural techniques, and other methods;
     (b) Monitoring for the presence of pests and pest damage;
     (c) Establishing the density of the pest population, that may be set at zero, that can be tolerated or correlated with a damage level sufficient to warrant treatment of the problem based on health, public safety, economic, or aesthetic thresholds;
     (d) Treating pest problems to reduce populations below those levels established by damage thresholds ((using strategies that may include biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical control methods and that must consider human health, ecological impact, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness)) with physical, mechanical, cultural, biological, chemical, and educational methods to keep pest organisms numbers low enough to prevent unacceptable damage. Chemicals and all other pest suppression methods used within the framework of integrated pest management must be carefully evaluated for their health, environmental, and economic consequences, and for their effectiveness and reliability; and
     (e) Evaluating the effects and efficacy of pest treatments.
     (2) "Pest" means, but is not limited to, any insect, rodent, nematode, snail, slug, weed, and any form of plant or animal life or virus, except virus, bacteria, or other microorganisms on or in a living person or other animal or in or on processed food or beverages or pharmaceuticals, which is normally considered to be a pest, or which the director of the department of agriculture may declare to be a pest.

Sec. 2   RCW 17.15.030 and 1997 c 357 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A state agency or institution listed in RCW 17.15.020 shall provide integrated pest management training for employees responsible for pest management. The training programs shall be developed in cooperation with the interagency integrated pest management coordinating committee created under RCW 17.15.040.
     (2) A state agency or institution listed in RCW 17.15.020 shall designate an integrated pest management coordinator and the department of labor and industries and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall each designate one representative to serve on the committee established in RCW 17.15.040.
     (3) The integrated pest management coordinator shall:
     (a) Manage the integrated pest management program of the agency or institution; and
     (b) Report periodically to the interagency integrated pest management coordinating committee about the implementation of the agency or institution program. The report must:
     (i) Identify pest problems within the purview or potential purview of the program that have occurred since the last report from that agency or institution;
     (ii) Describe the integrated pest management program implemented to address the problems;
     (iii) Address the effectiveness of the integrated pest management program used in dealing with each problem and any significant impacts that may have occurred through action or lack of action by the agency or institution involved; and
     (iv) Identify additional pests that are anticipated to become a problem and describe the integrated pest management program to be considered in response to the problem.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 17.15 RCW to read as follows:
     When a state agency or institution named in RCW 17.15.020 conducts or provides for conducting the application of pesticides to the buildings, grounds, or lands under the agency's management, the agency or institution shall ensure that prior to the application a marker is placed at the usual points of entry by employees and the public to the property. If the application is made to an isolated area that is not a substantial portion of the property, the applicator is required to place a marker only at the application site. The marker must be a minimum of four inches by five inches. It must have the words: "THIS AREA HAS BEEN TREATED BY" as the headline, the name of the pesticide applied in the body of the text, and "FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL" as the footer. Larger size requirements for markers may be established by the department of agriculture by rule for specific applications. The agency or institution shall ensure that the marker remains in place for such period as is recommended on the pesticide label for that type of application or, if not specified on the label, for a period sufficient to minimize any risks of exposure to sensitive individuals.