Amendment ASA1-AB476

LRBs0226/1

KRP/MCP/KP:amn&wlj

2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 476

January 23, 2020 - Offered by Representative Thiesfeldt.

AB476-ASA1,1,6 An Act to renumber 48.737; to amend 24.61 (3) (a) 2. and 24.61 (3) (a) 3.; and to create 24.61 (3) (a) 1. dm., 24.61 (3) (a) 3m., 48.737 (2), 97.67 (8), 115.28 (66) to (68), 118.07 (6), 121.91 (3) (a) 3. and 254.15 (7) of the statutes; relating to: lead testing of drinking water sources in certain schools; providing loans for lead remediation in certain schools; and providing an exception to referendum restrictions for lead remediation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This substitute amendment differs from 2019 Senate Bill 423 in the following respects:

1. Under the bill, a school board, operator of an independent charter school, or governing body of a private school participating in a parental choice program or in the Special Needs Scholarship Program (governing body) must conduct certain tests of water sources in schools. The substitute amendment adds child care programs established by school boards to the list of “schools” in which testing must occur.

2. Under the bill, the governing body of a school must test all potable water sources at the school. The substitute amendment requires the governing body to test all “drinking water sources” at the school. Under the substitute amendment, “drinking water source” means a water faucet, drinking fountain, ice maker, or other water outlet that dispenses potable water that is used for drinking or food preparation.

3. The substitute amendment requires the governing body of a school to identify all water sources at the school, determine whether the water source must be tested under the bill, and label all potable water sources that are not tested and that are accessible to pupils as “not for drinking.”

4. Under the bill, the governing body of a school must test drinking water sources for lead concentration, and, if test results show a concentration of lead “greater than the concentration considered safe for drinking under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act,” the governing body must take certain actions, including disconnecting the affected water source. Under the substitute amendment, the concentration of lead that triggers the required actions is a concentration of lead “greater than the federal action level for lead established pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act” (lead contamination), which is currently set at 15 parts per billion (ppb).

5. Under the bill, the required actions described under item 4 include, among other things, disconnecting the affected water source until a subsequent test shows a lead concentration below the trigger level. Under the substitute amendment, all access to water from the affected water source must be either disconnected, shut off, or otherwise eliminated.

6. The substitute amendment requires the Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to post on each of their Internet sites a copy of the guidance document and testing protocol published by the federal Environmental Protection Agency under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, commonly called the “3Ts,” an abbreviation for “Training, Testing, and Taking Action.” Under the substitute amendment, when the Department of Health Services creates the technical guidance document described below, DPI, DCF, and DATCP must post DHS's guidance document on each of their Internet sites instead of the 3Ts.

7. The substitute amendment requires DHS to create a document by July 1, 2023, providing technical guidance on and a model plan for schools, child care providers, child care centers, group homes, and recreational and educational camps for testing potable sources of water for lead contamination, remediating lead contamination in potable water sources, and disseminating information on results of tests of potable water sources. Under the substitute amendment, in creating the guidance document, DHS must consult with stakeholders and interested parties, conduct a public hearing, and accept written comments.

8. Under the bill, a governing body must conduct required tests in accordance with the 3Ts. The substitute amendment requires a governing body to conduct required tests in accordance with the guidance posted on DPI's Internet site at the time a test is conducted. In other words, after DHS completes its guidance document and DPI posts that guidance on DPI's Internet site, testing must be conducted in compliance with DHS's guidance, rather than the 3Ts.

9. The substitute amendment requires DPI, in consultation with DHS and the Department of Natural Resources, to seek federal funding to assist governing bodies to pay for the costs of complying with the testing and remediation requirements created in the bill.

10. The substitute amendment changes the frequency of required testing from three years to five years.

11. Under the bill, if the governing body of a school conducts two consecutive tests in a school at least three years apart that show lead levels not higher than one ppb in water sources in the school, the governing body is not required to conduct any additional tests at the school. Under the substitute amendment, if the governing body of a school conducts two consecutive tests of a particular water source at a school that show lead levels not higher than five ppb, the governing body is not required to conduct any additional tests of that water source. The substitute amendment also specifies that the consecutive tests must be conducted at the regular testing interval required under the substitute amendment.

12. The substitute amendment provides that the testing requirements do not apply to a school building in which pupils are not regularly present and that is not used to prepare food or provide water for pupil consumption.

13. The substitute amendment modifies the referendum restriction exception created in the bill. Under the substitute amendment, if a school board conducts a required test that shows the presence of lead in drinking water at a school in the school district, the school board may call a special referendum, and the limit on the number of referendums that may be called in any calendar year is increased by one. The substitute amendment provides that the special referendum must include only costs associated with lead remediation conducted to reduce or eliminate the presence of lead in drinking water at schools in the school district. The substitute amendment does not create an exception for the restriction regarding at what time during a calendar year the special referendum may be scheduled.

14. The bill allows the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands to use school trust funds to issue loans to school districts, municipalities, technical college districts, and cooperative educational service agencies for the purpose of remediating lead contamination in schools. The bill also allows funds from the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program to be used to reduce the principal and interest rates on BCPL loans made for this purpose. The substitute amendment eliminates the provision in the bill that allows SDWLP funds to be used to reduce the principal and interest rates on these BCPL loans.

For further information, see the analysis for the bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB476-ASA1,1 Section 1. 24.61 (3) (a) 1. dm. of the statutes is created to read:

AB476-ASA1,3,2 24.61 (3) (a) 1. dm. Remediating lead contamination in a school building.

AB476-ASA1,2 Section 2. 24.61 (3) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB476-ASA1,4,4 24.61 (3) (a) 2. A town, village, city, or county as provided under s. 67.04 or otherwise authorized by law, or to remediate lead contamination in a school with which the town, village, city, or county has contracted.

AB476-ASA1,3 Section 3. 24.61 (3) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB476-ASA1,4,8 24.61 (3) (a) 3. A technical college district as provided under s. 67.04 or otherwise authorized by law, or to remediate lead contamination in a school with which the district has contracted.

AB476-ASA1,4 Section 4. 24.61 (3) (a) 3m. of the statutes is created to read:

AB476-ASA1,4,11 24.61 (3) (a) 3m. A cooperative educational service agency for the purpose of remediating lead contamination in a school with which the agency has contracted.

AB476-ASA1,5 Section 5 . 48.737 of the statutes is renumbered 48.737 (1).

AB476-ASA1,6 Section 6 . 48.737 (2) of the statutes is created to read:

AB476-ASA1,4,18 48.737 (2) (a) No later than 7 days after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], the department shall post on its Internet site a copy of the guidance document and testing protocol published by the federal environmental protection agency under 42 USC 300j-24 (b). This paragraph does not apply after the department posts the information required under par. (b).

AB476-ASA1,4,22 (b) No later than 7 days after the department receives the notice under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 12 (2), the department shall post on its Internet site a copy of the document created under s. 254.15 (7) providing technical guidance and a model plan for testing potable sources of water for lead contamination.

AB476-ASA1,7 Section 7 . 97.67 (8) of the statutes is created to read:

AB476-ASA1,5,3 97.67 (8) (a) No later than 7 days after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], the department shall post on its Internet site a copy of the guidance document and testing protocol published by the federal environmental protection agency under 42 USC 300j-24 (b). This paragraph does not apply after the department posts the information required under par. (b).

AB476-ASA1,5,7 (b) No later than 7 days after the department receives the notice under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 12 (2), the department shall post on its Internet site a copy of the document created under s. 254.15 (7) providing technical guidance and a model plan for testing potable sources of water for lead contamination.

AB476-ASA1,8 Section 8. 115.28 (66) to (68) of the statutes are created to read:

AB476-ASA1,5,14 115.28 (66) Lead contamination guidance document and testing protocol. No later than 7 days after the effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date], post on the department's Internet site a copy of the guidance document and testing protocol published by the federal environmental protection agency under 42 USC 300j-24 (b). This subsection does not apply after the state superintendent posts the information required under sub. (67).

AB476-ASA1,5,19 (67) Technical guidance and model plan for testing potable water. No later than 7 days after the department receives the notice under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 12 (2), post on the department's Internet site a copy of the document created under s. 254.15 (7) providing technical guidance and a model plan for testing potable sources of water for lead contamination.

AB476-ASA1,6,3 (68) Federal funding for lead testing and remediation. In consultation with the department of health services and the department of natural resources, seek federal funding to assist school boards, operators of charter schools under s. 118.40 (2r) and (2x), and governing bodies of private schools participating in programs under ss. 115.7915, 118.60, and 119.23 to pay for the costs of complying with the testing and remediation requirements under s. 118.07 (6). The state superintendent shall ensure that any funding obtained for this purpose is distributed equitably among those school boards, operators, and governing bodies that are eligible for that funding.

AB476-ASA1,9 Section 9. 118.07 (6) of the statutes is created to read:

AB476-ASA1,6,5 118.07 (6) (a) In this subsection:

AB476-ASA1,6,8 1. “Drinking water source” means a water faucet, drinking fountain, ice maker, or other water outlet that dispenses potable water that is used for drinking or food preparation.

AB476-ASA1,6,9 2. “Governing body” means any of the following:

AB476-ASA1,6,11 a. For a public school other than a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), the school board of the school district in which the school is located.

AB476-ASA1,6,13 b. For a child care program established under s. 120.13 (14), the school board that established the child care program.

AB476-ASA1,6,15 c. For a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), the operator of the charter school.

AB476-ASA1,6,17 d. For a private school participating in a program under s. 115.7915, 118.60, or 119.23, the governing body of the private school.