Florida Senate - 2020 SB 168
By Senator Cruz
18-00075A-20 2020168__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to drinking water in public schools;
3 creating s. 1013.29, F.S.; providing legislative
4 findings; defining terms; subject to legislative
5 appropriation, requiring each school district to
6 install filters that meet certain specifications on
7 drinking water sources; requiring such schools to post
8 certain signage on certain water sources and to
9 publish specified information on the school district’s
10 website; authorizing school districts to request
11 additional funding to compensate school district staff
12 for the installation or replacement of filters;
13 providing for rulemaking; providing an appropriation;
14 providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Section 1013.29, Florida Statutes, is created to
19 read:
20 1013.29 Prevention of lead in drinking water in public
21 schools.—
22 (1) The Legislature finds that:
23 (a) The adverse health effects of lead exposure in children
24 and adults are well documented and no safe blood lead level in
25 children has been identified;
26 (b) Lead accumulates in the body and can be ingested from
27 various sources, including water sources used for drinking, food
28 preparation, or cooking; and
29 (c) All sources of lead should be controlled or eliminated
30 to prevent childhood lead poisoning.
31 (2) As used in this section, the term:
32 (a) “Drinking water source” means any water source used for
33 drinking, food preparation, or cooking. The term also includes
34 water fountains, ice makers, and kitchen sinks.
35 (b) “Point of use filter” or “filter” means a water
36 filtration system that treats water at a single tap.
37 (3) Subject to the appropriation of funds by the
38 Legislature, for each district school that was built before
39 1986, each school district shall:
40 (a) Install a point of use filter that reduces the lead
41 content in drinking water on each drinking water source and
42 maintain such filters in a manner consistent with the
43 manufacturer’s recommendations.
44 1. The filter must be installed by a school district staff
45 member.
46 2. The filter or all of its component parts must meet the
47 NSF International/American National Standards Institute Standard
48 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units-Health Effects.
49 3. The filter must have a certified capacity of 7,900
50 gallons and, at a minimum, must be changed or replaced annually.
51 (b) Post a conspicuous sign near each school water source
52 that is not a drinking water source. The sign must include
53 wording and an image that clearly communicate that water from
54 the source should not be used for human consumption or, if
55 applicable, for food preparation or cooking.
56 (c) Publish on its website a list of drinking water sources
57 at such schools. At a minimum, the list must include, for each
58 drinking water source, all of the following:
59 1. The date on which the current filter was installed.
60 2. The date on which the current filter is scheduled to be
61 replaced.
62 3. The location of each drinking water source.
63 4. Any actions necessary to comply with the requirements of
64 this section which have been completed or are pending.
65 (4) Each school district may request additional funds for
66 the purpose of compensating school district staff for the
67 installation or replacement of filters.
68 (5) The Department of Education shall adopt rules to
69 administer this section.
70 Section 2. For the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the sum of $3
71 million in recurring funds is appropriated from the General
72 Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for the purpose of
73 implementing s. 1013.29, Florida Statutes, as created by this
74 act.
75 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.