SENATE DOCKET, NO. 314        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 242

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Joanne M. Comerford

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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 establishing a Green and Healthy Schools working group and implementation plan.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 314        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 242

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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

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An Act establishing a Green and Healthy Schools working group and implementation plan.

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

The department of public health shall convene an interagency working group on Green and Healthy Schools for the Coming Decades. The working group shall advise commonwealth agencies, local officials, school districts, parents and the public concerning steps to assure that all schools provide students with a healthy environment that is conducive to learning, protects safety and public health, and efficiently uses energy and natural resources.

The working group shall (i) advise the department of public health on the implementation of section 83 of chapter 179 of the acts of 2022, including factors to be included in the assessment under said section; and (ii) recommend a plan for implementing and enforcing green and healthy school standards for cost-effective renovation and rehabilitation of existing school buildings and for new school building construction for all schools by 2050. The plan shall include a recommended division of responsibility among state agencies for implementation and enforcement of the plan, and a designated agency to take overall management responsibility for implementing the plan. The plan shall include 5-year benchmarks and implementation milestones, and shall include procedures for publicly reporting and assessing progress towards achieving the benchmarks for each 5-year period.

The working group shall include representatives of the department of public health, Massachusetts School Building Authority, the department of elementary and secondary education, the department of energy resources and other agencies of the commonwealth designated by the department of public health. The working group shall consult with groups representing educators and school administrators, parents, municipalities, architects, experts in school health and energy efficiency, and others with expertise or interest in their work. Not later than 1 year after the effective date of this section, the working group shall hold no less than 2 public listening sessions in separate regions of the commonwealth to receive public opinion on the matters before the working group.

Following the filing of the report by the department of public health under subsection (b) of said section 83, the department of public health, Massachusetts School Building Authority, the department of elementary and secondary education, and the department of energy resources shall implement and enforce standards as recommended by the working group for the green and healthy renovation and rehabilitation of existing school buildings and for new school building construction for all schools by 2050.