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

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

Sponsors: Representatives Simpson, Hudgins, Ormsby, Hunt, Wood, Campbell and Chase.

Brief History:

Select Committee on Environmental Health: 1/15/08 [DP].

HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Campbell, Chair; Hudgins, Vice Chair; Sump, Ranking Minority Member; Chase, Hailey, Hunt, Morrell, Newhouse and Wood.

Staff: Brad Avy (786-7289).

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

Summary of 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 DOH and the DOE, must consider nationally recognized accrediting information from multiple sources and provide guidance to state agencies to:

• 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;
• promote adoption of cleaning practices that reduce or minimize these risks;
• recognize state agencies that adopt and implement environmentally beneficial facility and workplace management policies and practices;
• encourage contractors supplying goods and services to state agencies to use such products; and
• encourage lessors and building managers who provide leased space to state agencies to select and purchase such products.

The Department, upon renewal of a lease and for all new leases, must require lessors and building managers who provide leased space to state agencies to use environmentally preferred products and practices.

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

When there is a need to control the spread of germs, infection, and disease in areas where high levels of bacteria are present or in areas where mandated by law, the use of germicidals, disinfectants, and anti-microbiological products must be used in accordance with responsible cleaning procedure requirements, including:

• controlled and efficient use;
• proper dilution, mixing, and handling;
• following label instructions;
• monitoring of chemical quantities used; and
• compliance with chemical hazard communication and personal protective equipment use requirements under chapter 296-800 WAC.

State agencies must prepare a biennial report for listing on the Department's website the products purchased that are not on the preferred list, along with reasons why they were not selected. 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 cooperative.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested January 16, 2008. Similar fiscal note is available using HB 1464 fiscal note.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) The Department of General Administration is excited that HB 2613 promotes the use of environmentally friendly products while incorporating considerations of proper storage and disposal, and recognizing cleaning workers as first-class citizens, while still providing clean facilities. This bill has the potential to be very effective legislation. The Department of General Administration is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in implementation. The bill is improved over last session's parallel HB 1464. The bill is timely, implementable, and will help fulfill existing executive orders that encourage state agencies to buy less toxic products and agency requirements to do sustainability plans. It taps into a burgeoning green chemistry movement. A number of Washington businesses are looking at green chemistry as an economic development niche. This type of approach helps us get out in front of chemical problems that could turn up tomorrow.

(Opposed) Public health is the issue when you get right down to the tradeoff with environmental sensitivity. Most third-party programs exclude a good number of disinfecting, cleaning, and sanitizing products. These products need to be available. Third-party certification requirements may have the unintended consequence of limiting needed access to disinfectants.

Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Pedersen, prime sponsor; Pattie Williams, Department of General Administration; and Darin Rice, Department of Ecology.

(Opposed) Bill Stauffacher, Consumer Specialty Products Association.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.