HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 166 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 9, 2008 Requesting the Board of Education, in cooperation with the Department of General Services, to study the use of certain cleaning and maintenance products in the public schools of the Commonwealth. Report. ---------- Patron-- Englin ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

WHEREAS, cleaning products are necessary to create and maintain healthful and pleasant conditions in homes, schools, and workplaces; and

WHEREAS, many conventional cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that can contribute to indoor air pollution and may be associated with eye, skin, or respiratory irritation; and

WHEREAS, there is increasing interest in using “green,” non-toxic cleaning products in schools in light of growing concerns about the health effects of children’s exposure to irritants and toxic chemicals; and

WHEREAS, even more than adults, children are vulnerable to exposure to chemical and other environmental hazards; and

WHEREAS, chemicals in cleaning products can be released to the environment by evaporation during normal use, by being left as residues on cleaned surfaces, or by discharge into our streams and rivers; and

WHEREAS, implementing a “Green, Clean Schools” program in Virginia to require public schools to use “green” cleaning products may protect children’s, teachers’ and custodians’ health, while also safeguarding our environment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Board of Education, in cooperation with the Department of General Services, be requested to study the use of certain cleaning and maintenance products in the public schools of the Commonwealth.

In conducting its study, the Board of Education is requested to establish a year-long pilot program, consisting of elementary and secondary schools representing rural, urban, and suburban school divisions, in which the participating schools are requested to purchase and use only cleaning products certified as environmentally sensitive, or “green,” by the independent Green Seals national certification program. The Board is requested to require that participating schools compare and monitor the cost and efficacy of using “green” cleaning products vis-à-vis commercial cleaning products customarily used in the public schools.

In addition, during the course of the pilot program, the Board and the Department of General Services are requested to confer with representatives of the following agencies, associations, and organizations: State Health Department, the Departments of Labor and Industry, Environmental Quality, and the Office of the Attorney General; the Virginia Education Association, Virginia School Boards Association, and Virginia Association of School Superintendents; the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; school service support staff; environmental groups; manufacturers association of cleaning products; local, regional, and national distributors of cleaning products; and other interested individuals and organizations for the purpose of examining the desirability and feasibility of establishing a “Green, Clean Schools” program in the Commonwealth. The Board and Department, together with the aforementioned representatives, are requested to consider (i) “Green, Clean Schools” programs in other states, (ii) the costs and benefits of adopting a “Green, Clean Schools” program for public schools in the Commonwealth, (iii) the appropriateness of establishing guidelines for the use of “green” cleaning and maintenance products in public schools and standards for assessing “green” products; (iv) the procedure, process, costs, and effect of transitioning to “green” cleaning and maintenance products in the public schools; (v) the findings and recommendations of the pilot program and the advantage of adopting or incorporating such recommendations into the development of a “Green, Clean Schools” program for the Commonwealth; (vi) the efficacy of the introduction of legislation in the 2010 Regular Session of the General Assembly to establish a “Green, Clean Schools” program for all public schools in the Commonwealth, commencing in the 2010-2011 school year; and (vii) such other related matters as may be appropriate to submit a complete report to the 2010 Session of the General Assembly.

Technical assistance shall be provided to the Board of Education by the Department of General Services and the State Health Department. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Board of Education for this study, upon request.

The Board of Education and the Department of General Services shall complete their meetings for the first year by November 30, 2008, and for the second year by November 30, 2009, and the Board of Education and the Department of General Services shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, jointly, an executive summary and report of their findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.