SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2156        FILED ON: 4/6/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2079

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Donald F. Humason, Jr., (BY REQUEST)

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act reducing non-ionizing radiation exposure in schools.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2156        FILED ON: 4/6/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2079

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act reducing non-ionizing radiation exposure in schools.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 69, as appearing in the Official 2014 Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:-

The board shall as a matter of policy promote the reduction of non-thermal non-ionizing radiation exposures to students and staff in public schools, encouraging school districts to choose paper and pen over regular use of technology to avoid potential harm. The board shall establish a policy to insure school districts reduce non-ionizing non-thermal radiation exposures, including harmonics, transients, and fields deriving from close contact with electricity. The board shall increase staff and student education of potential harms of non-thermal non-ionizing radiation. The board shall recommend elimination of wireless communications in all schools. As a matter of policy and to avoid penalizing schools, the board shall consider all public school accountability measures requiring use of technology as “not applicable,” refusing to accept or consider such accountability measures in schools which do not use or which significantly reduce use of technology.

SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, in the Official 2014 edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

It shall be unlawful to use public school grounds from preschool through grades twelve for wireless transmissions via cellular tower antennas, routers, or other wireless devices. Personal wireless devices must be placed in non-transmitting modes except in the case of medical emergency or serious threat to personal safety.

Each school committee shall establish a policy dealing with students and staff who violate this law. This policy may include, but not be limited to, mandatory education classes on the hazards of non-ionizing radiation or digital addiction recovery programs.

Excepting individual personal transmitting devices, each school district shall remove transmitting devices from school building as swiftly as practically possible, providing evidence of good faith to concerned school staff, students, and the community. Districts may not refuse to allow for informal measurements of non-ionizing radiation by staff or students except to restrict, within reason, the disruption of learning and the distraction of students. Districts that fail to provide evidence of good faith and fail to remove transmitting devices within a reasonable time period shall pay a penalty twice that of removal of the device(s). Persons knowingly and intentionally obstructing removal of transmitting devices may be charged with criminal offense, fined, and removed from administrative duties.

SECTION 3. Chapter 269 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

The use of a wireless communications device on school grounds that transmits non-ionizing radiation that is known to cause harm as stated by a medical doctor or by reasonable scientific evidence shall be illegal. In the event a transmitting device on school grounds is deemed a health risk to an individual or group and thus requires removal, whoever, being responsible for the device and being so commanded to assist in removal, refuses to obey or obstructs such command may be punished by imprisonment or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, or both.

SECTION 4. Section 19G of said chapter 78, as so appearing in the official 2014 Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:-

The board shall use funding to encourage public libraries to reduce non-ionizing radiation exposures, including from use of wireless communications and electronic technology, through avoidance, redesign, and reduction of emitting technologies.