IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 252 
Expressing the sense of Congress that no Federal or State requirement 
to increase energy efficient lighting in public buildings should require 
a hospital, school, day care center, mental health facility, or nursing 
home to install or utilize such energy efficient lighting if the lighting 
contains mercury. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2007 
Mr. BURGESS submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in ad-
dition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that no Federal or State 
requirement to increase energy efficient lighting in public 
buildings should require a hospital, school, day care cen-
ter, mental health facility, or nursing home to install 
or utilize such energy efficient lighting if the lighting 
contains mercury. 
Whereas elemental mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that is 
especially harmful to children; 
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•HCON 252 IH 
Whereas when elemental mercury is spilled or a device con-
taining mercury breaks, the exposed elemental mercury 
can evaporate and become invisible; 
Whereas compact fluorescent energy efficient light bulbs con-
tain between 3.8 and 6 mg of elemental mercury per 
bulb; 
Whereas if incandescent light bulbs are prohibited, the only 
lighting option that meets federally mandated standards 
may be compact fluorescent lamps containing mercury; 
Whereas Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental 
Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, ad-
vises consumers to ‘‘seal the CFL (compact fluorescent 
lamp) in two plastic bags and put in the outside trash’’ 
when disposing of a burned out but unbroken bulb; 
Whereas the Energy Star website recommends the following 
to clean up broken bulbs: 
(1) Open the window, and leave the room for at 
least 15 minutes. 
(2) While wearing rubber gloves, remove all mate-
rials you can (without using a vacuum cleaner). 
(3) Place all materials in two plastic bags and seal 
them. Wash your hands afterward. 
(4) The first time you vacuum the area where the 
broken bulb occurred, dispose of the vacuum bag by seal-
ing it in two plastic bags and placing it in (outside) 
trash, or completely clean the vacuum canister; 
Whereas there are certain areas of a hospital, school, day 
care center, mental health facility, or nursing home that 
may not be able to be evacuated upon the breakage of 
compact fluorescent lamps due to security reasons, safety 
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•HCON 252 IH 
reasons, legal restrictions, or the conditional health of the 
infirm; 
Whereas upon the breakage of compact fluorescent lamps 
there may not be an opportunity for nursery workers, 
teachers, or healthcare providers to adequately remove 
the spilled elemental mercury according to Energy Star 
requirements; and 
Whereas according to the Environmental Protection Agency 
15 States have already taken legal steps to remove mer-
cury from schools through legislation, including Illinois, 
Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, 
Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Kansas, 
Maine, Minnesota, Vermont, and Virginia: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that no Fed-
eral or State requirement to increase energy efficient light-
ing in public buildings should require a hospital, school, 
day care center, mental health facility, or nursing home 
to install or utilize such energy efficient lighting if the 
lighting contains mercury. 
Æ 
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