BILL REQ. #:  H-3638.1 

Read first time 01/27/14.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to requiring public schools to provide tap water to students during school lunches; adding a new section to chapter 28A.235 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) Fluoridation of community water supplies is the single most effective public health measure to prevent dental decay;
     (b) Studies indicate that water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by twenty to forty percent, even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from other sources such as toothpaste;
     (c) One serving of fruit juice contains fourteen grams of sugar, and one cup of skim milk contains twelve grams of sugar;
     (d) Added sugars have been linked to obesity and weight gain; weight gain increases the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer; and
     (e) Nutrition advocates believe that school children's access to water is a national problem the federal government has only begun to address.
     (2) Therefore the legislature intends to promote drinking water to replace high sugar beverages and enable public school students to easily access tap water during scheduled lunch periods.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (a) "Cup" means a small open container made of paper, plastic, or other materials whose primary purpose is to serve as a receptacle from which to drink.
     (b) "Lunch period" means the scheduled time during the middle of the school day set aside for students to eat and drink a meal.
     (c) "Tap water" means water from a publicly accessible water source within a school building. Tap water may include bottled water only if the source is generally accessible to all students. Tap water does not include individual, commercially produced bottles of water.
     (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, each public school must provide enrolled students with access to tap water, in cups provided for this purpose, during scheduled school lunch periods.
     (3) The requirements of this section do not apply to schools that serve school lunches in their classrooms.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Section 2 of this act takes effect September 1, 2014.