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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2943 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2518 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | David Allen Robertson |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to environmental public health. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David Allen Robertson19th Middlesex1/16/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2943 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2518 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Robertson of Tewksbury, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2518) |
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| 19 | 19 | | of David Allen Robertson for legislation relative to environmental public health. Public Health. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 1469 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to environmental public health. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 17 as appearing in the 2020 Edition is hereby |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2amended by adding the following new section |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 Section 22: There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4fund to be known as the United Neighbor's Investing in the Truth for Youth Fund (UNITY |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5Fund), which shall be administered by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6Expenditures from the fund shall not be subject to appropriation unless otherwise required by |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7law. The fund shall provide funding for, but not supplant, funds previously designated to support |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8public health investigations under Section 4 of Chapter 21e of the General Laws. The purpose |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9of the fund shall be to provide initial and ongoing funding for cancer surveillance and |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10environmental data collection and to ensure that studies initiated by the department to examine 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11the human health impact of past and present environmental conditions are completed in as timely |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12a manner as scientifically feasible. Funds may be provided from the UNITY Fund to support |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13environmental public health activities including but not limited to research, environmental and |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14biologic sample(s) design and collection modeling, surveys, public engagement and associated |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15administrative costs. The commissioner shall administer the fund using methods, policies, |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16procedures, standards, and criteria for the proper and efficient operation of the fund and studies |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17supported by it in a manner designed to achieve equity, fairness, and efficiency. The secretary of |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18administration and finance, in consultation with the secretary of health and human services, shall |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19determine annually the expenses of administering the fund, which shall be charged to the fund. |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20Any health surveillance and research efforts supported by the UNITY Fund shall be published |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21electronically on the General Court website as well as the department’s website and filed with |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22the clerks of the House and Senate. The commissioner shall report annually itemized |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23expenditures from the fund to the clerks of the House and Senate and the Senate and House |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24committees on ways and means. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25 (b) The fund shall consist of: (i) legislative appropriations; (ii) gifts or grants from private |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26or public sources, (iii) any legislatively authorized transfers approved by the secretary of |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27administration and finance; and (iv) state and/or federal funds received as a result of cost |
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| 57 | 57 | | 28recovery efforts associated with health investigations related to state and nationally recognized |
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| 58 | 58 | | 29hazardous waste for the specific purpose of the fund. Any amounts contained in the fund shall |
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| 59 | 59 | | 30not revert to the general fund. All interest earned on the amounts in the fund shall be deposited or |
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| 60 | 60 | | 31retained in the fund. The Comptroller shall pay, without further appropriation, any and all |
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| 61 | 61 | | 32amounts certified by the Commissioner for payment as provided above. |
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