HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4415

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

________________________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 26, 2024.

The committee on Education, to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 427) of Brian M. Ashe and others relative to the establishment of a school carbon monoxide safety trust fund to be administered by the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (House, No. 4415) ought to pass.

For the committee,

DENISE C. GARLICK.

        FILED ON: 2/5/2024

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4415

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

An Act relative to air quality in public 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. (a) There shall be an interagency task force to review and investigate indoor air quality in public school buildings that provide education for children in kindergarten through grade 12. 

(b) The task force shall consist of the following 17 members or their designees: the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of public health, who shall serve as co-chair; the executive director of the Massachusetts school building authority; the director of the department of labor standards; the commissioner of the department of environmental protection; the state fire marshal; 1 member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 member appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 member appointed by the senate president; 1 member appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 member appointed by the governor who is an expert in the field of environmental health and indoor air quality; and 1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc., the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc., the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Massachusetts School Nurses Organization.

(c) The task force shall investigate indicators of indoor air quality in public school buildings and ways to ensure adequate indoor air quality in such school buildings, including but not limited to: (i) an assessment of carbon monoxide detection systems within each public school building and each school’s compliance with subsection (a½) of section 26F½ of chapter 148 of the General Laws; (ii) best practices for the placement and installation of carbon monoxide detection systems in public school buildings; (iii) the status of carbon dioxide levels in public school buildings according to data collected from existing carbon dioxide monitoring systems in public school buildings; (iv) the necessity and feasibility of installing carbon dioxide monitoring systems in all public school buildings and collecting data from such systems; (v) the temporary or ongoing use of equipment necessary to ensure adequate air filtration and ventilation within public school buildings; (vi) the regulation of minimum and maximum allowable air temperatures and relative humidity, as well as any relevant statistics on the number of air-conditioned public schools; (vii) an evaluation of the grants distributed pursuant to 1599-2055 of section 2A of chapter 102 of the acts of 2021; and (viii) the cost, including labor costs, of implementing any recommendations.

(d) Not later than October 1, 2025, the task force shall file a report on its findings, including any analysis, recommendations, or proposed legislation, with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the chairs of the joint committee on education.