HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3590        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3661

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

James K. Hawkins

_________________

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 relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

1/18/2019

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/24/2019

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

1/24/2019

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/24/2019

Carlos González

10th Hampden

1/25/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/25/2019

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

1/25/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

1/31/2019

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

3/20/2019

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

2/1/2019

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

1/31/2019

F. Jay Barrows

1st Bristol

3/22/2019

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

1/29/2019

David Biele

4th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

3/20/2019

Daniel Cahill

10th Essex

3/22/2019

Peter Capano

11th Essex

3/19/2019

Gerard J. Cassidy

9th Plymouth

1/30/2019

Michelle L. Ciccolo

15th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

3/20/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Cynthia Stone Creem

First Middlesex and Norfolk

3/20/2019

William L. Crocker, Jr.

2nd Barnstable

3/20/2019

Claire D. Cronin

11th Plymouth

2/1/2019

Julian Cyr

Cape and Islands

3/21/2019

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

2/1/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

3/21/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/31/2019

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

1/31/2019

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

3/21/2019

Dylan A. Fernandes

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

1/25/2019

Michael J. Finn

6th Hampden

3/22/2019

Carole A. Fiola

6th Bristol

1/28/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/27/2019

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

16th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

1/29/2019

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

1/28/2019

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

2/1/2019

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

3/21/2019

Steven S. Howitt

4th Bristol

1/30/2019

Randy Hunt

5th Barnstable

1/28/2019

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

20th Middlesex

3/21/2019

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

3/21/2019

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

3/21/2019

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

2/1/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/30/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

1/28/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/28/2019

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

2/1/2019

Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.

28th Middlesex

1/26/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

1/25/2019

Rady Mom

18th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

1/30/2019

James M. Murphy

4th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

1/30/2019

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

12th Worcester

1/31/2019

Tram T. Nguyen

18th Essex

1/27/2019

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

3/20/2019

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

3/20/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/31/2019

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

1/28/2019

Michael J. Soter

8th Worcester

3/21/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

3/21/2019

William M. Straus

10th Bristol

3/21/2019

Alyson M. Sullivan

7th Plymouth

3/21/2019

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

1/31/2019

Walter F. Timilty

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

1/30/2019

Dean A. Tran

Worcester and Middlesex

3/22/2019

Paul F. Tucker

7th Essex

2/1/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

3/22/2019

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

3/20/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

3/20/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

3/22/2019

RoseLee Vincent

16th Suffolk

1/28/2019

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

3/22/2019

Donald H. Wong

9th Essex

1/31/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3590        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3661

By Mr. Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3661) of James K. Hawkins and others relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment.

 

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. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 237. (a) The following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:-

“Firefighting personal protective equipment” means any clothing designed, intended, or marketed to be worn by firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties, designed with the intent for the use in fire and rescue activities, including jackets, pants, shoes, gloves, helmets, and respiratory equipment.

“Local governments” includes any county, city, town, fire district, regional fire protection authority, or special purpose district that provides firefighting services.

“Manufacturer” includes any person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, organization, joint venue, importer, or domestic distributor of firefighting agents or firefighting equipment.  For the purposes of this definition, “importer” means the owner of the product.

“Perfluoraolkyl and polyfluoraolkyl substances” or “PFAS chemicals” means, for the purposes of firefighting agents and firefighting equipment, a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.

(b) A manufacturer or other person that sells firefighting personal protective equipment containing PFAS chemicals to any person, local government, or state agency shall provide written notice to the purchaser at the time of sale which shall state: (i) that the firefighting personal protective equipment contains PFAS chemicals; and (ii) the reason PFAS chemicals are added to the equipment.

The manufacturer or other person selling firefighting personal protective equipment and the purchaser of the equipment shall retain a copy of the notice required pursuant to this subsection on file for at least 3 years from the date of the purchase.  Upon the request of the department, a person, manufacturer, or purchaser shall furnish the notice, or written copies, and associated sales documentation to the department within 60 days of such request.

SECTION 2. Section 237 of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as added by section 1, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(b) A manufacturer or other person to that sells firefighting personal protective equipment to any person, local government, or state agency shall not manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in the commonwealth any firefighting personal protective equipment containing intentionally added PFAS chemicals.

SECTION 3. Section 1 shall take effect on January 1, 2020.

SECTION 4. Section 2 shall take effect on January 1, 2022.