SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1033

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 13, 2025

      The Senate Environment and Energy Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1033.

      As amended by the committee, this bill would require the Department of Health (DOH), within one year after the bill’s effective date, and in cooperation and consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Education (DOE), the Rutgers Center for Green Building, and any other organization deemed by the DOH to be appropriate, to conduct a public school indoor air quality study using a representative sampling of public schools in the State.  The representative sampling of schools would be required to include:  (1) schools that represent diverse regions of the State and provide varying levels of education to students of all ages, including at least one preschool, one kindergarten, one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school located in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State; and (2) schools of varying ages, including, to the extent practicable, at least:  one school constructed within the five year period immediately preceding the bill’s effective date; one school constructed not less than five years, nor more than 10 years, prior to the bill’s effective date; one school constructed not less than 10 years, nor more than 15 years, prior to the bill’s effective date; one school constructed not less than 15 years, nor more than 25 years, prior to the bill’s effective date; one school constructed not less than 25 years, nor more than 50 years, prior to the bill’s effective date; and one school constructed more than 50 years prior to the bill’s effective date.

     In conducting the public school indoor air quality study, the DOH would be required to:

     (1)   identify, for each school in the representative sample, the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), hazardous air pollutants, and other indoor air contaminants that are present in the indoor air at each such school, and extrapolate, from the representative sampling, the total number of public schools in the State where each such indoor air contaminant is present and the estimated level of each such indoor air contaminant at each public school in the State;

     (2)   compile a list of the most common indoor air contaminants in public schools; and

     (3)   develop and publish guidance documents for public schools and school districts describing the ways in which such schools may take action to reduce the presence or mitigate the effects of indoor air contaminants identified on the DOH’s list.  In developing these guidance documents, the DOH would be required to consider and incorporate, as deemed appropriate, any existing guidance on this issue that has been published by the DEP or the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

     The bill would require the DOH to provide the DOE with a copy of the list and guidance documents developed under the bill, and it would further require both the DOH and DOE to post a copy of the list and the guidance documents in a publicly accessible location on the respective department’s Internet website.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments to the bill:

      (1) require the DOH, rather than the DEP, to carry out the study mandated by the bill; and

      (2) require the DOH to consult with the DEP when performing the study.