II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4277 

To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to reauthorize healthy highperformance schools, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 22, 2020 

Mr. MARKEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to reauthorize 

healthy high-performance schools, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Get Toxic Substances 

5 Out of Schools Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF HEALTHY HIGH-PERFORM7 ANCE SCHOOLS. 

8 (a) GRANTS FOR HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRON9 MENTS.—Section 501 of the Toxic Substances Control Act 

10 (15 U.S.C. 2695) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert3 ing the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) providing technical assistance to local edu5 cational agencies (as defined in section 8101 of the 

6 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), State-licensed childcare facilities, 

8 and schools in addressing environmental problems, 

9 contaminants, hazardous substances, and pollutant 

10 emissions, as described in section 504(a)(3)(A);’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (i) in the matter preceding subpara13 graph (A), by striking ‘‘and implementa14 tion’’; and 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

16 (I) by inserting ‘‘as described in 

17 section 504(a)(3)(A),’’ after ‘‘pollut18 ant emissions,’’; and 

19 (II) by striking the period at the 

20 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(3) development of State-level interagency 

23 memoranda of understanding for the implementation 

24 of programs developed under paragraph (2); 


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1 ‘‘(4) performing inspections, testing, and moni2 toring for contaminants, hazardous substances, and 

3 pollutant emissions, as described in section 

4 504(a)(3)(A), within schools; and 

5 ‘‘(5) carrying out remediation measures for con6 taminants, hazardous substances, and pollutant 

7 emissions, as described in section 504(a)(3)(A), 

8 within schools.’’; and 

9 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(b) STATE PLAN.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

12 under subsection (a), a State shall submit to the Adminis13 trator a plan that describes the means by which the State 

14 will— 

15 ‘‘(1) ensure coordinated programmatic and 

16 funding efforts across relevant State-level agencies, 

17 including education, environment, health, and en18 ergy-related agencies; and 

19 ‘‘(2) use the grant to make long-term improve20 ments to— 

21 ‘‘(A) schools; and 

22 ‘‘(B) State-licensed childcare facilities, if 

23 applicable. 

24 ‘‘(c) GRANTEE DATA COLLECTION AND REPORT25 ING.—A State that receives a grant under subsection (a) 


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1 shall submit to the Administrator an annual report de2 scribing— 

3 ‘‘(1) the amount of the grant funds that were 

4 used for the activities described in paragraphs (4) 

5 and (5) of subsection (a) during the previous year; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(2) any inspections, testing, and monitoring 

8 performed, and remediation measures carried out, 

9 during the previous year using the grant, including 

10 the number of schools and the number of students 

11 that were directly served. 

12 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

14 after the date of enactment of this subsection, and 

15 every 2 years thereafter, the Administrator shall 

16 submit to the Committee on Environment and Pub17 lic Works and the Committee on Health, Education, 

18 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Com19 mittee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee 

20 on Education and Labor of the House of Represent21 atives, a report describing the results of the grant 

22 program under this section, including a description 

23 of— 

24 ‘‘(A) the States that were awarded a grant 

25 under subsection (a); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the activities for which the States de2 scribed in subparagraph (A) used the grant. 

3 ‘‘(2) PERIOD COVERED.—A report submitted 

4 under paragraph (1) shall cover— 

5 ‘‘(A) in the case of the initial report, the 

6 period beginning on the date of enactment of 

7 this section and ending on the date of submis8 sion of the report; and 

9 ‘‘(B) in the case of each report thereafter, 

10 the 2-year period preceding the date of submis11 sion of the report.’’. 

12 (b) PUBLIC OUTREACH.—Section 503 of the Toxic 

13 Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2695b) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘, until the ex15 piration of authority described in section 501(b)’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘children’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘students’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(c) OUTREACH TO STATES.—The Administrator 

20 shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) carry out periodic outreach to States to 

22 make available information relating to— 

23 ‘‘(A) the exposure of school children to en24 vironmental hazards in school facilities; 


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1 ‘‘(B) regulations and guidelines applicable 

2 to environmental hazards in school facilities; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(C) other materials that may assist 

5 States in addressing environmental problems, 

6 contaminants, hazardous substances, and pol7 lutant emissions, as described in section 

8 504(a)(3)(A); and 

9 ‘‘(2) annually convene school stakeholders, in10 cluding parents, child health experts, researchers, 

11 nonprofit organizations, and States that receive 

12 grants under section 501 to meet with employees of 

13 the Environmental Protection Agency and other 

14 Federal agencies to discuss topics relating to— 

15 ‘‘(A) the environmental health of children 

16 at school; and 

17 ‘‘(B) the prevention, identification, and re18 mediation of contaminants in indoor air and 

19 other environmental health risks and threats re20 lating to school buildings and grounds.’’. 

21 (c) ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM.—Section 

22 504 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 

23 2695c) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by inserting ‘‘and not less frequently than once 

3 every 10 years thereafter,’’ after ‘‘section,’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

5 (i) by redesignating clauses (v) 

6 through (vii) as clauses (vi) through (viii), 

7 respectively; and 

8 (ii) by inserting after clause (iv) the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(v) polychlorinated biphenyls;’’; 

11 (C) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

12 the end; 

13 (D) in paragraph (7), by striking the pe14 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

15 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(8) provides technical assistance on best prac17 tices for the removal, remediation, and disposal of 

18 polychlorinated biphenyls and other hazardous sub19 stances; and 

20 ‘‘(9) collects an inventory of schools affected by 

21 polychlorinated biphenyls and other hazardous sub22 stances.’’; and 

23 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—To 

2 the maximum extent practicable, the Administrator shall 

3 make publicly available— 

4 ‘‘(1) information relating to the exposure of 

5 children to environmental hazards in school facili6 ties; and 

7 ‘‘(2) an inventory of schools in which poly8 chlorinated biphenyls have been found in light bal9 lasts or other media.’’. 

10 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

11 505 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 

12 2695d) is amended by striking ‘‘There are authorized’’ 

13 and all that follows through ‘‘2013’’ and inserting ‘‘There 

14 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 

15 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026’’. 

Æ 


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