Bill Text: NJ A4356 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires evaluation of school buildings for air quality and mold.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-12-05 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [A4356 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A4356-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires evaluation of school buildings for air quality and mold.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning indoor air quality and mold in schools, and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Within 24 months after the effective date of this act, and at least once every five years thereafter, the superintendent of each school district in the State, and the chief administrator of each private school and charter school within the State, shall provide for the evaluation of the interior of every public and private school building for the presence of mold and air contaminants. The evaluation shall be performed consistent with the procedures established for the evaluation and assessment of building interiors adopted by the Department of Health pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.1 (C52:27D-130.4).
b. Within 12 months after the effective date of this act, the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) that establish indoor standards for: (1) exposure limits to mold in school buildings that are protective of the public health and safety; (2) procedures for the inspection, identification, and evaluation of the interior of school buildings for mold; and (3) standards for mold hazard abatement, including specialized cleaning, removal, maintenance, painting, temporary containment, and practical guidelines for the removal of mold and the abatement of the underlying cause of mold and associated water intrusion in indoor environments.
c. The superintendent of each school district in the State, as well as the chief administrator of each private school and charter school within the State, in consultation with the Department of Health, shall determine the procedures concerning notification and circulation of the testing results.
d. As used in this section, "mold" means any form of multicellular fungi that lives on plant or animal matter and in indoor environments. Types of mold include, but are not limited to, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fuarim, Trichoderma, Memnoniella,. Mucor, and Stachhybotrys Chartarum, often found in water-damaged building materials.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require within 24 months after its effective date, and at least once every five years thereafter, the superintendent of each school district in the State, and the chief administrator of each private school and charter school within the State, provide for the evaluation of the interior of every public and private school building for the presence of mold and air contaminants. The evaluation is required to be performed consistent with the procedures already established for the evaluation and assessment of building interiors adopted by the Department of Health pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.1 (C52:27D-130.4). In addition, the bill would require that the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, adopt regulations that establish indoor standards for: (1) exposure limits to mold in school buildings that are protective of the public health and safety; (2) procedures for the inspection, identification, and evaluation of the interior of school buildings for mold; and (3) standards for mold hazard abatement, including specialized cleaning, removal, maintenance, painting, temporary containment, and practical guidelines for the removal of mold and the abatement of the underlying cause of mold and associated water intrusion in indoor environments.
Finally, the bill would allow the superintendent of each school district in the State, as well as the chief administrator of each private school and charter school within the State, in consultation with the Department of Health, to determine the procedures concerning notification and circulation of the testing results.
