Sponsored by:
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DEP to conduct testing of child care centers for hazardous substances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning testing for contamination at child care centers, and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Within six months after the effective date of this act, the owner or operator of any building in which an existing or newly constructed child care center licensed pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) is located shall request the Department of Environmental Protection to test the air, water and soil of the space in the building in which the child care center is located and the grounds on which the building is located for the purpose of determining if contamination is present. The cost of any sampling conducted pursuant to this act shall be paid by the department.
Nothing in this act shall be interpreted to require the Department of Environmental Protection to be responsible for the costs of remediation as a result of the sampling conducted pursuant to this act.
2. The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations, as appropriate, to implement the provisions of this act. The rules and regulations may include, but need not be limited to, procedures to be followed by the owner or operator of any building in which a child care center is located in making a request pursuant to section 1 of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would provide that the owner or operator of any building in which an existing or newly constructed child care center is located shall request the Department of Environmental Protection to test the air, water and soil of the space in the building in which the child care center is located and the grounds on which the building is located for the purpose of determining if contamination is present. The cost of any sampling conducted pursuant to this bill would be paid by the department.