HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3249 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 853
|
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Jay D. Livingstone
_________________
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 for the establishment of a voucher program for home water filtration equipment.
_______________
PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: | Date Added: |
Jay D. Livingstone | 8th Suffolk | 1/20/2023 |
Marian T. Ryan, Middlesex District Attorney | 15 Commonwealth Avenue Woburn, MA 01801 | 1/20/2023 |
Margaret R. Scarsdale | 1st Middlesex | 10/6/2023 |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3249 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 853
By Representative Livingstone of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 853) of Jay D. Livingstone and Marian T. Ryan (Middlesex District Attorney) for legislation to establish a voucher program for home water filtration equipment. Environment and Natural Resources. |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act for the establishment of a voucher program for home water filtration equipment.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Chapter 21A as appearing in the Official 2020 edition of the General Laws is amended by adding section (8G), as follows:
(a) The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shall establish and administer a program in which the DEP shall issue vouchers for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) filtration equipment in accordance with the following requirements.
(1) The DEP shall maintain a list of municipalities (affected municipalities) in which PFAS level exceed the maximum contamination levels (MCL) set by the DEP.
(2) The DEP shall maintain a registry of addresses that have received vouchers in the past.
(3) For purposes of this section, an “address” shall mean a single-family house or a numbered unit in a multi-unit dwelling of any kind.
(4) For purposes of this section, “PFAS filtration equipment” shall mean point-of-use filtration devices installed into a water line and replacement filters for such devices. National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certification of PFAS filtration equipment is required for it to be eligible for a voucher.
(b) A resident or property owner living in an affected municipality may request vouchers for filtration equipment, i.e., a point-of-use filtration device or a replacement filter, from the DEP.
(1) The applicant must provide proof of address in an affected municipality.
(2) The applicant address may receive no more than two vouchers for point-of-use filtration devices in a five-year period.
(3) The applicant address may receive no more than two vouchers for replacement filters in a six-month period.
(c) A voucher recipient may redeem a voucher at any retail establishment selling filtration equipment.
(1) The retail establishment shall accept a voucher marked alternatively for a filtration device or for a replacement filter in lieu of payment for such equipment.
(2) The retail establishment shall receive reimbursement from the DEP upon providing the voucher and the record of sale.
(d) Funds for the redemption of vouchers shall come from state and federal water quality grants to the DEP.