S4632

An Act concerning the installation of filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in this act:

"Drinking fountain" means a plumbing fixture that is connected to the potable water distribution system and drainage system that allows a user to obtain a drink directly from a stream of flowing water without the use of any accessory.

"Filtered bottle-filling station" or "station" means an apparatus that:

a. is connected to customer site piping;

b. filters water and is certified to meet NSF/ANSI standard 53 for lead reduction and NSF/ANSI standard 42 for particulate removal;

c. has a flow rate through the station that is paired to the specified flow rate of the filter cartridge;

d. has a light or other device to indicate filter cartridge replacement status;

e. is designed to fill drinking bottles or other containers for personal water consumption; and

f. includes a drinking fountain.

"Filtered faucet" means a faucet that at the point of use includes a filter that is certified to meet NSF/ANSI standard 53 for lead reduction and NSF/ANSI standard 42 for particulate removal.

2. a. No later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this act, the Commissioner of Education shall establish a program to provide grants, subject to available appropriations, for the purchase and installation of filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools. Public schools may apply to the Department of Education for a grant in a form and manner as determined by the commissioner.

b. The commissioner shall advertise the availability of the grants to public schools and shall publish information about the program on the department’s Internet website.

c. In awarding grants pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall give priority to public schools that demonstrate significant water quality issues, as evidenced by test results, reports from the Department of Environmental Protection, or reliable data sources indicating elevated levels of lead and other contaminants in drinking water, and to public schools that have not already installed filtered bottle-filling stations or filtered faucets.

3. No later than six months after the date of enactment of this act, the commissioner may develop and disseminate guidance to public schools to assist in the development of plans for installing filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. The resources may include information on factors that a school should consider when selecting and siting filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets, and for regularly replacing filter cartridges.

4. No later than six months after the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature on the implementation of the grant program. The report shall include information on the number of grants applied for, the number of grants awarded, and the commissioner’s recommendation as to how much additional funding would be needed to meet total demand in all public schools.

5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a program to provide grants, subject to available appropriations, for the purchase and installation of filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools no later than 90 days after enactment of the bill. Public schools that wish to apply to the program are to apply to the Department of Education for a grant in a form and manner as determined by the commissioner.

The bill requires the commissioner to advertise the availability of the grants to public schools, including publishing information about the program on the department’s Internet website.

The bill requires the commissioner to give priority to public schools that demonstrate significant water quality issues, as evidenced by test results, reports from the Department of Environmental Protection, or reliable data sources indicating elevated levels of lead and other contaminants in drinking water, as well as to public schools that have not already installed filtered bottle-filling stations or filtered faucets.

The bill provides that the commissioner may develop and disseminate guidance to public schools to assist in the development of plans for installing filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. The resources may include information on factors that a school should consider when selecting filtered bottle-filling stations, filtered faucets, and filter cartridges.

The bill requires the commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months after the end of the 2025-2026 school year. The report is to contain information on the implementation of the grant program and information on the number of grants applied for, the number of grants awarded, and the commissioner’s recommendation as to how much additional funding would be needed to match total demand in all public schools.

It is the sponsor’s intent to establish a program to assist school districts in installing filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in order to better protect children’s health. Poor drinking water, and in particular, exposure to lead, contributes to significant health problems. Because children are still growing, their bodies absorb more lead than adults. Negative health impacts of contaminated drinking water include anemia, kidney and brain damage, learning disabilities, and decreased growth.