HB 1725 — Implementing the recommendations of the pesticide application safety work group.

H-2196.1SECONDH-1036.1HOUSE SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1725State of Washington66th Legislature2019 Regular SessionByHouseSessionByRepresentatives Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Dent, Valdez, Schmick, Pettigrew, Orcutt, Blake, Chandler, Springer, Pollet, and Riccelli)READRiccelliRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 03/01/19.AN01/29/19.Referred to Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards.AN ACT Relating to implementing the recommendations of the pesticide application safety work group;

creating a new sections;section;

The committee is composed of the following members:(a) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;(b) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate;(c) The director of the department of agriculture, or an assistant director designated by the director;(d) The secretary of the department of health, or an assistant secretary designated by the secretary;(e) The director of the department of labor and industries, or an assistant director designated by the director;(f) The commissioner of public lands, or an assistant commissioner designated by the commissioner;(g) The director of the Washington poison center, or an assistant director designated by the director;(h) The dean of the college of agricultural, human, and natural resource sciences at the Washington State University, or an assistant dean designated by the dean;(h)dean; The pesticide safety education coordinator at the Washington State University cooperative extension;

and(i) The directorpesticide of the University of Washington Pacific Northwest agricultural safety andeducation healthcoordinator center,at orthe anWashington assistantState designatedUniversity bycooperative theextension.(2) director.(2) The committee shall be cochaired by the secretary of the department of health, or the assistant secretary designated by the secretary, and the director of the department of agriculture, or the assistant director designated by the director.(3) Primary responsibility for administrative support for the committee, including developing reports, research, and other organizational support, shall be provided by the department of health and the department of agriculture.

The meetings shall be at a time and place specified by the cochairs, or at the call of a majority of the committee.committee.(4)(a) An advisory work group is created to collect information and make recommendations to the full committee on topics requiring unique expertise and perspectives on issues within the jurisdiction of the committee.(b) The advisory work group shall consist of two representatives of employee organizations that represent farmworkers, two farmworkers with expertise on pesticide application, a representative of community and migrant health centers, a toxicologist, a representative of growers who use air blast sprayers, a representative of growers who use aerial pesticide application, a representative of growers who use fumigation to apply pesticides, and a representative of aerial applicators.

When determining the time and place of meetings, the cochairs must consider costs and conduct committee meetings in Olympia when this choice would reduce costs to the state.(4)(a) An advisory work group is created to collect information and make recommendations to the full committee on topics requiring unique expertise and perspectives on issues within the jurisdiction of the committee.(b) The advisory work group shall consist of a representative from the department of agriculture, two representatives of employee organizations that represent farmworkers, two farmworkers with expertise on pesticide application, a representative of community and migrant health centers, a toxicologist, a representative of growers who use air blast sprayers, a representative of growers who use aerial pesticide application, a representative of growers who use fumigation to apply pesticides, and a representative of aerial applicators.

The letter of appointment to the advisory work group members must be signed by both cochairs.(c) The advisory work group must attend the meetings of the committee and hold additional meetings onlyas uponnecessary.(d) Members of the committee'sadvisory request.work group shall be reimbursed for mileage expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.060.(e) The advisory work group must provide a report on their activities and recommendations to the full committee by November 9th of each year.(5) The first priority of the committee is to explore how the departments of agriculture, labor and industries, and health, and the Washington poison center collect and track data.

To reduce costs, the advisory work group must conduct meetings using teleconferencing or other methods, but may hold one in-person meeting per fiscal year.(d) Members of the advisory work group shall be reimbursed for mileage expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.060.(e) The advisory work group must provide a report on their activities and recommendations to the full committee by November 9th of each year.(5) The first priority of the committee is to explore how the departments of agriculture, labor and industries, and health, and the Washington poison center collect and track data.

The committee may also evaluate and recommend policy options that would take action to:(a) Improve pesticide application safety with agricultural applications;(b) Lead an effort to establish baseline data for the type and quantity of pesticide applications used in Washington to be able to compare the number of exposures with overall number of applications;(c) Research(d) ways to improve pesticide application communication among different members of the agricultural community, including educating the public in English and Spanish about acute and chronic health information about pesticides;(d) Compile industry's best practices for use to improve pesticide application safety to limit pesticide exposure;(e) Continue to investigate reasons why members of the agricultural workforce do not or may not report pesticide exposure;(f) Explore new avenues for reporting with investigation without fear of retaliation;(g) Work with stakeholders to consider trainings for how and when to report;(h) Explore incentives for using new technology by funding a partial buy-out program for old spray technology;(i) Consider developing an effective community health education plan;(j) Consult with community partners to enhance educational initiatives that work with the agricultural workforce, their families, and surrounding communities to reduce the risk of pesticide exposure;(k) Enhance efforts to work with pesticide manufacturers and the environmental protection agency to improve access to non-English pesticide labeling in the United States;(l) Work with research partners to develop, or promote the use of translation apps for pesticide label safety information, or both;(m) Evaluate prevention techniques to minimize exposure events;(n) Develop more Spanish language and other language educational materials for distribution, including through social media and app-based learning for agricultural workforce communities;(o) Explore development of an agricultural workforce education safety program to improve the understanding about leaving an area being sprayed;

Any member of the committee may provide a minority report as an appendix to the report submitted to the legislature under this section.(7) This section expires July 1, 2025.NEW2025.--- SECTION.  Sec.END ---

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If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2019, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.--- END ---