| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 649 FILED ON: 1/10/2025 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 124 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Carmine Lawrence Gentile and Mary S. Keefe |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex1/10/2025Mary S. Keefe15th Worcester1/10/2025Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden1/22/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/27/2025Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex1/25/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/11/2025 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 649 FILED ON: 1/10/2025 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 124 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Representatives Gentile of Sudbury and Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | House, No. 124) of Carmine Lawrence Gentile, Mary S. Keefe and others relative to pesticide |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | products eligible for use on the outdoor grounds of schools, child care centers or school age child |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | care programs. Agriculture. |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 6C of Chapter 132B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “center”, in lines 3, 6 and 10, |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 3each time it appears, the following words:- , property occupied by the department of children and |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 4families, facilities of the juvenile court, facilities of the department of youth services, sports |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 5fields for town youth teams. |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 6 SECTION 2. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 7amended by inserting after the word “program”, in lines 3, 7 and 11, each time it appears, the |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 8following words:- or on properties within 150 feet thereof, including abutters. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 9 SECTION 3. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 10amended by inserting after the word “school”, in line 11 and line 27, the following words:- or |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 11department. 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 12 SECTION 4. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 13amended by adding the following new subsection:- |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 14 (d) This section shall apply regardless of what entity hires a party to spray, release, |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 15deposit or apply pesticides. This section shall apply whether a hiring entity is a public or private |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 16owner of real property, a management company for real property, or any other person or legal |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 17entity. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 18 SECTION 5. Said section 6G of said chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 19amended by adding following paragraph:- |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 20 Notwithstanding the forgoing, a school, child care center, public institution of higher |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 21education or school age child care program shall only use pesticide products that: (i) are |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 22classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material pursuant |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 23to 40 C.F.R. 152.25, as amended; or (ii) include no active ingredients other than those published |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 24in the National List at 7 C.F.R 205.601, as amended; provided, however, that a school, child care |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 25center, public institution of higher education or school age child care program may be granted a |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 26hardship waiver, at the discretion of the department, for use of a pesticide that does not meet |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 27such qualifications. |
|---|