HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4202        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Mike Connolly

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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 for the establishment of a voucher program for home water filtration equipment.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4202        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 853 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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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:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 21A of the General Laws, as appearing in the Official 2020 edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:

Section 8G. PFAS Filtration Voucher Program

(a) The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shall establish and administer a program for the issuance of vouchers for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) filtration equipment, in accordance with the following requirements:

The DEP shall maintain a list of municipalities (affected municipalities) where PFAS levels exceed the maximum contamination levels (MCL) set by the DEP.

The DEP shall maintain a registry of addresses that have received vouchers in the past.

For the purposes of this section, the term “address” shall mean a single-family house or a numbered unit in a multi-unit dwelling of any kind.

For the purposes of this section, “PFAS filtration equipment” shall refer to third-party certified point-of-use filtration devices installed into a water line and replacement filters for such devices. The following requirements must be met for eligibility for a voucher: a. A third-party certified point-of-use filtration device must be certified by an independent certification body accredited to ISO 17065 by an entity domiciled in the United States that is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (IAF MLA), such as the Water Quality Association, NSF International, or the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials; b. The filtration device must be NSF/ANSI 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units – Health Effects certified, including a claim for reduction of PFAS; or c. The filtration device must be NSF/ANSI 58: Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Systems certified, including a claim for reduction of PFAS.

(b) A resident or property owner living in an affected municipality may request vouchers for filtration equipment, including a point-of-use filtration device or a replacement filter, from the DEP.

The applicant must provide proof of address in an affected municipality.

The applicant’s address may receive no more than two vouchers for point-of-use filtration devices in a five-year period.

The applicant’s address may receive no more than two vouchers for replacement filters in a six-month period.

(c) A voucher recipient may redeem the voucher at any retail establishment selling filtration equipment.

The retail establishment shall accept the voucher, marked alternatively for a filtration device or for a replacement filter, in lieu of payment for such equipment.

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.