House Bill hb0283

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

        By Representative Kosmas






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to protection of children's

  3         health; providing legislative findings and

  4         intent; providing definitions; providing for

  5         appointment of the Children's Health and

  6         Environmental Protection Advisory Committee;

  7         providing for organization and meetings and for

  8         termination of the advisory committee;

  9         providing for staff support by the Department

10         of Environmental Protection; providing for

11         reimbursement of members' per diem and travel

12         expenses; providing duties of the advisory

13         committee; requiring a report and

14         recommendations; providing an effective date.

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16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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18         Section 1.  Legislative findings and intent.--

19         (1)  The Legislature finds that:

20         (a)  Children today face an array of preventable

21  exposures to environmental hazards in their schools, homes,

22  and communities.

23         (b)  Children are at greater risk than adults for

24  exposure to and possible illness from environmental hazards

25  due to their:

26         1.  Decreased abilities to detoxify substances.

27         2.  Greater sensitivity to environmental hazards during

28  the stages of development and growth as a result of their

29  immature body organs and tissues and weaker immune systems.

30         3.  Different exposure and behavior patterns, such as

31  hand-to-mouth behavior, spending a greater amount of time

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

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  1  outdoors, and spending more time on the floor and on the

  2  ground where contaminants can concentrate.

  3         4.  Ingestion of a greater amount of contaminants due

  4  to eating proportionately more food, breathing proportionately

  5  more air, and drinking proportionately more fluids than

  6  adults.

  7         (c)  Children in poverty and children from racial and

  8  ethnic communities may suffer more frequent and direct

  9  exposure to many more chemicals and pollutants.

10         (d)  Solutions to complex environmental health problems

11  require the ongoing communication and collaboration of

12  affected communities and many disciplines, including science,

13  medicine, public health, economics, planning, law, and policy.

14         (2)  The Legislature recognizes its responsibilities:

15         (a)  To enable all children to grow up in a safe and

16  healthy environment.

17         (b)  To use its resources to ensure that every child is

18  provided with an environmentally safe and healthy learning

19  environment in which to grow, develop, and mature into a

20  productive and healthy adult.

21         (3)  The Legislature intends to meet these

22  responsibilities by creating an advisory committee to identify

23  environmental hazards to children through interdisciplinary

24  problem solving and coalition building.

25         Section 2.  Definitions.--As used in this act, unless

26  the context requires otherwise:

27         (1)  "Advisory committee" means the Children's Health

28  and Environmental Protection Advisory Committee.

29         (2)  "Environmental hazard" means exposure to harmful

30  chemicals and pollutants such as lead, pesticides, air

31  pollutants, contaminated drinking water, polluted waters,

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

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  1  toxic waste dumps, polychlorinated biphenyls, second-hand

  2  tobacco smoke, industrial chemicals, and other chemicals and

  3  pollutants that may impact children's health.

  4         (3)  "Protect the health of children" means to protect

  5  the health of children by taking into account the special

  6  vulnerabilities of children because of their developing

  7  physiology and because their exposures, behaviors, and diet

  8  can differ greatly from those of adults.

  9         Section 3.  Children's Health and Environmental

10  Protection Advisory Committee.--

11         (1)  The Children's Health and Environmental Protection

12  Advisory Committee shall be composed of 13 members, as

13  follows:

14         (a)  A member of the Senate appointed by the President

15  of the Senate.

16         (b)  A member of the House of Representatives appointed

17  by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

18         (c)  The Secretary of Health, or the secretary's

19  designee.

20         (d)  The Secretary of Environmental Protection, or the

21  secretary's designee.

22         (e)  The Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer

23  Services, or the commissioner's designee.

24         (f)  The Commissioner of Education, or the

25  commissioner's designee.

26         (g)  The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or

27  the secretary's designee.

28         (h)  The Secretary of Community Affairs, or the

29  secretary's designee.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

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  1         (i)  Two licensed pediatric health care providers with

  2  expertise in the field of children's environmental health,

  3  appointed by the Governor.

  4         (j)  A licensed social worker with expertise in the

  5  field of children's environmental health, appointed by the

  6  Governor.

  7         (k)  A parent or guardian whose child has been exposed

  8  to environmental health hazards, including lead paint or

  9  pesticides, appointed by the Governor.

10         (l)  A pediatric environmental health researcher,

11  appointed by the Governor.

12         (m)  An economist skilled in measuring the economic

13  costs of illness and the benefits of prevention, appointed by

14  the Governor.

15         (2)  The Secretary of Health, or that secretary's

16  designee, and the Secretary of Environmental Protection, or

17  that secretary's designee, shall serve as co-chairs of the

18  advisory committee.

19         (3)(a)  The term of the advisory committee shall end

20  June 30, 2003.

21         (b)  In the case of a vacancy of an appointed member,

22  the appointing authority shall appoint a successor to fill the

23  remainder of the term.

24         (4)  The advisory committee shall meet at least six

25  times during its term, at such times and places as it

26  determines.

27         (5)  A majority of the membership of the advisory

28  committee shall constitute a quorum.

29         (6)  The Department of Environmental Protection shall

30  provide staff to the advisory committee.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

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  1         (7)  Each member of the advisory committee is entitled

  2  to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses as specified

  3  in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.

  4         (8)  The advisory committee shall:

  5         (a)1.  Review existing state laws and rules to ensure

  6  that the laws and rules adequately protect the health of

  7  children from environmental hazards.

  8         2.  Recommend changes to any state laws and rules that

  9  the advisory committee determines do not adequately protect

10  the health of children from environmental hazards.

11         (b)  Gather and disseminate information to the public,

12  including the research and medical communities,

13  community-based organizations, schools, and state agencies, on

14  how to reduce, treat, and eliminate children's exposures to

15  environmental hazards, to further the public's understanding

16  of the environmental hazards that may potentially affect

17  children.

18         (c)  Develop uniform guidelines for state agencies to

19  follow to assist in reducing and eliminating the exposure of

20  children to environmental hazards, especially in areas

21  reasonably accessible to children.

22         (d)  Produce a report of its recommendations to the

23  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the

24  House of Representatives by February 15, 2003.

25         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

26  law.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 283

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  1            *****************************************

  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Provides for appointment of the Children's Health and
  4    Environmental Protection Advisory Committee, under the
      Department of Environmental Protection. Provides duty of
  5    the advisory committee to review and recommend changes to
      existing state laws and rules to ensure adequate
  6    protection of the health of children from environmental
      hazards, disseminate information regarding the exposure
  7    of children to environmental hazards, and develop uniform
      guidelines for state agencies to follow to assist in the
  8    reduction and elimination of such exposures. Requires the
      advisory committee to submit a report to the Governor and
  9    Legislature by February 15, 2003. Provides for
      termination of the advisory committee on June 30, 2003.
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