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ISSA Advocacy Weekly Recap—August 23, 2019
August 23, 2019
Welcome to the ISSA Advocacy Weekly Recap! This is ISSA’s regular roundup of the latest public-policy related issues impacting the cleaning industry.
Colorado Imposes VOC Standards for Cleaning Products
On July 18, Colorado joined other states in setting Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) standards for consumer products including commercial, institutional, and household cleaning products. Colorado’s standards are stricter than those currently set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The regulation is based on the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) Consumer Products Model Rule Phase IV and will take effect May 1, 2020 or May 1, 2021 for EPA-registered products. ISSA weighed in on the issue earlier this year.
Bills Reducing Single-Use Plastics Move Through California Legislature
A pair of bills would require a steep reduction in the amount of plastic packaging and products. The bills, as drafted, use vague language which grants broad authority to the state’s regulatory agency, CalRecycle, to regulate plastic packaging. In an interview with Capitol Public Radio, Bernice Jimenez Creager with the American Chemistry Council stated the plastics industry is willing to work with the authors and CalRecycle. “There are a lot of challenges that the current versions of the bill present,” she said. “The plastics industry is very supportive of the bills. However, we’re asking for a fix on them.”’
New Jersey Law Mandates Outbreak Plan
All long-term care facilities in New Jersey must develop and submit an illness outbreak response plan to the state’s Department of Health according to a bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy last week, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News reports. The law is in response to an adenovirus occurrence that was responsible for the death of 11 children who were residents of the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, N.J. last fall.
ISSA Joins the USMCA Coalition
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Coalition is a group of U.S. companies and associations working to secure congressional approval of the agreement. Members are coordinating through the coalition on work streams such as congressional outreach, communications, and grassroots activities to pursue the agreement. ISSA supports USMCA as it will help reduce trade barriers for manufacturers and distributors of cleaning chemicals, products, and equipment.
Other Links of Interest:
- China warns US tariffs will ‘escalate trade friction’
- ISSA Increases Cleaning Industry’s Profile at National Legislative Summit
- CMI Helps DuPage County Inmates Clean Up
- California Considers Curbing a Chemical in Household Detergents
- Become an Advocate for Clean
- Pennsylvania school district votes to outsource janitorial work
