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History
- Print number 45a
- Amend and recommit to health
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Provides for annual school lead-copper tap water testing; publishing of reports of contamination and abatement of such contamination
In Assembly Committee · Health · Sponsor Linda Rosenthal
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S45A
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation to the water dispensed within public schools
Purpose
To protect children from the irreversible health effects caused by lead contamination by ensuring that the water children drink in schools is safe and free from lead by requiring school districts to conduct annual school lead-copper tap water testing to monitor for lead contamination.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the public health law by adding a new section 1110 that will require the commissioner of Health in conjunction with the commissioner of Education to prepare and publish a report based on the findings of the lead-copper tap water testing, and would require that the report be sent to the commissioner of education and be available to parents of children in the affected school.
Section 2 amends 1102 of the public health law to include a finding of contamination pursuant to section 409-1 of the education law.
Section 3 amends the education law by adding a new section 409-1 which requires school lead-copper tap water testing to monitor for lead contamination (except in schools that have been built without lead piping, or where a finding of no contamination has been made for a period of three years) and sets forth levels that would exceed those that are acceptable. It would also require the results to be transmitted to the commissioner of education and the commissioner of health. If contamination is found the school district shall:
- Continue testing until test results are acceptable; - Supply children with an adequate supply of potable water; - Provide parents with written notification (which is explicitly spelled out) of test results, and district's plan to eliminate the source of lead exposure.
Section 4 is the effective date.
Justification
Research has clearly shown that lead in drinking water poses serious, irreversible health effects to children. Currently school facilities are required to provide "safe, potable water", but the regulations do not call for testing where the school is not the water supplier. The only way to ensure that the water is truly "safe and potable" is to require testing for lead and to mandate that the results of those tests be made public.
Legislative history
2011-12: S.666-A 2009/10: A.2359A/S.6174 - Passed Assembly
2007/08: A.2279/S.3580 - Passed Assembly 2005/06: A.1467A - Passed Assembly 2003/04: A.1898 - Passed Assembly 2001/02: A.7677C - Passed Assembly
Fiscal implications
None to State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect September 1, 2015.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.