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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 894 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 588
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
John C. Velis
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act studying the effect of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial products.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :John C. VelisHampden and HampshireKelly W. Pease4th Hampden1/31/2023 1 of 2
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 894 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 588
By Mr. Velis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 588) of John C. Velis and Kelly W.
Pease for legislation to study the effect of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial
products. Environment and Natural Resources.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 624 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act studying the effect of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial products.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly
2requires otherwise, have the following meanings:—
3 “Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances” or “PFAS chemical” or “PFAS”, a class
4of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.
5 “Agricultural products”, any vegetable, fruit, dairy, meat, fish, and poultry, and
6agricultural inputs, such as, but not limited to, feed, water, fertilizer, pesticides, sold
7commercially in Massachusetts.
8 “Food products”, any beverage, including alcoholic beverages, beverage or food
9additives, or food product sold commercially in Massachusetts. 2 of 2
10 SECTION 2. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection shall procure
11or otherwise employ an external research organization, which has the capacity to study per- and
12polyfluoroalkyl substances and the effect PFAS has on agricultural products and other food
13products; provided, that the research organization shall have: (1) extensive experience with a
14wide variety of agricultural products and environmental matrices, including, but not limited to,
15plants and animals; (2) a current QAPP (“Quality Assurance Project Plan”) through the United
16States Environmental Protection Agency; (3) current sampling and chain of custody protocols;
17(4) experience handling complex agricultural matrices; and (5) access to state-of-the art mass
18spectrometers. The study shall include findings on the levels of PFAS found in: (1) in
19agricultural and food products sold in Massachusetts stores; (2) locally sourced agricultural
20products; and (3) agricultural inputs including, but not limited to, feed, water, fertilizer, and
21pesticides. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection shall make said report
22publicly available on the Department’s website; provided further, that the report shall be broken
23down into laymen’s terms for reading digestibility.
24 The commissioner shall file a progress report in writing of the findings, including food
25and agricultural sources of contamination, within 365 days of the passage of this act; provided,
26that
27 the report shall be filed with the house and senate committees on ways and means and the
28joint committee on environment, natural resources, and agriculture on or before August 31, 2024.
29 SECTION 3. This act shall take effect no later than 180 days after passage of this act.