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THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH AN
    INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY THAT FOCUSES ON THE
    LONG-TERM HEALTH OF TEACHERS, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AND
    PRIORITIZES THE USE OF NONCHEMICAL METHODS OF PEST CONTROL
    AND REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO CONDUCT
    A STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PEST CONTROL FOR COMMON
    AREAS FREQUENTED BY THE PUBLIC.



 1        WHEREAS, pests such as ants, mosquitoes, termites,
 2   centipedes, spiders, scorpions, wasps, bees, cockroaches,
 3   beetles, and rodents, as well as weeds, fungi, bacteria, and
 4   viruses threaten our health, safety, and property and must be
 5   controlled or exterminated; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, the use of pesticides to control these pests is
 8   an effective and common practice, but the use of pesticides in
 9   or near schools is a serious problem with the potential to
10   cause adverse and long-lasting effects to teachers, staff, and
11   especially children who, because of their age, are at greater
12   risk than adults; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, it is recognized that pesticides cause a
15   multitude of adverse health effects such as cancer,
16   neurological disruption, birth defects, genetic alteration,
17   reproductive harm, immune system dysfunction, endocrine
18   disruption, and acute poisoning; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, in response to this problem, the Los Angeles
21   Unified School District (District) has created an Integrated
22   Pest Management Policy (Policy) that recognizes the safety and
23   health of students, teachers, staff, and the environment as
24   paramount to the use of pesticides; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, the Policy is a sustainable approach to managing
27   pests by combining biological, chemical, cultural, manual, or
28   mechanical tools or techniques, or any combination thereof to
29   minimize health, environmental, and economic risks; and
30   
31        WHEREAS, the objective of the District is to provide for
32   the safest and lowest risk approach to controlling pests while
33   protecting people, the environment, and property; and
34   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, the Policy focuses on long-term prevention and
 2   prioritizes the use of nonchemical methods to ultimately
 3   eliminate the use of all chemical treatments; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the District adopted the Precautionary Principle,
 6   which recognizes that:
 7   
 8        (1)  No pesticide product is free from risk or threat to
 9             human health; and
10   
11        (2)  Industrial pesticide producers should be required to
12             prove that their pesticide products demonstrate an
13             absence of the risks enumerated in third WHEREAS
14             clause above, rather than requiring that the
15             government or the public prove than human health is
16             being harmed; now, therefore,
17   
18        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
19   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the
20   Department of Education is urged to establish an Integrated
21   Pest Management Policy, based on the Los Angeles model and the
22   Precautionary Principle, that focuses on the long-term health
23   of teachers, staff, and students and prioritizes the use of
24   nonchemical methods of pest control; and
25   
26        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in establishing a policy, the
27   Department is requested to consider requiring the posting of
28   large-print signs whenever the use of pesticides or herbicides
29   is used, twenty-four hours before and after such use, at all
30   entrances to treated areas that include information warning of
31   the intent to use a pesticide or herbicide, its application
32   date, the type of pesticide or herbicide used, and any other
33   pertinent health hazard information; and
34   
35        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education,
36   in developing its policy, is urged to utilize students to
37   assist in researching and proposing models using tools such as
38   the internet; and
39   
40        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference
41   Bureau is requested to conduct a study of alternative methods
42   of pest control using non-chemical means for common areas
43   frequented by the public such as schools, playgrounds,
44   pedestrian-bikeways, roadsides, riparian zones along channels
45   adjacent to bridges; and

 
 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Legislative Reference Bureau
 3   is requested to study other municipalities worldwide on this
 4   issue to provide the Legislature with reference material for
 5   future decision-making needs and policy development; and
 6   
 7        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference
 8   Bureau is requested to report its findings and recommendations
 9   to the Legislature twenty days before the convening of the
10   Regular Session of 2001; and
11   
12        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
13   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of
14   Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the
15   Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.
16   
17 
18 
19 
20                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________