|
Governor Doyle shakes the hand of Jade Black, student activist, following the signing of a landmark bill aimed at creating healthier schools in Wisconsin. (Dec. 10, 2009)
From left to right Dick Black Jade Black Jeanne Black Rita Casales Ruiz Nick Casales (advocates for healthy schools) Ken Huxtable (Represenative Grigsby’s office) Dan Rossmiller (WI Association of School Boards) Kevin Benish (Representative Grigsbys office)
Front row Governor Jim Doyle
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
For Immediate Release
Friday, December 11, 2009
Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Governor Doyle Signs Bill to Protect Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools
Also Signs Four Other Bills, Including a Bill Requiring Labor History for Students
| |
|
|
| |
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law five bills, including legislation directing the Department of Public Instruction to create model standards for maintaining appropriate indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in public and private schools.
Senate Bill 41 requires the Department of Public Instruction to create a task force dedicated to developing a model management plan for maintaining IEQ in schools. Public schools and private schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program will be required to implement a plan to maintain proper indoor environmental quality once the task force develops the model plan.
"Students and teachers all over the state spend hours each day in public and private schools," Governor Doyle said. "I'm proud to sign this bill to create new health protections for our students and teachers."
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Sullivan and Olsen and Representatives Grigsby and Pope-Roberts for their work on the bill.
Governor Doyle also signed into law Assembly Bill 172, a bill that requires instruction on the history of organized labor and collective bargaining.
"I'm happy to sign this bill so that Wisconsin students understand how important the labor movement was in creating some of the most basic workplace rights that
Wisconsin families enjoy today," Governor Doyle said.
The Governor thanked Representatives Jorgensen and Zepnick and Senators Hansen and Wirch for their work on the bill.
Governor Doyle also signed the following bills today:
-
AB 292, which makes changes affecting recording and filing of documents with the register of deeds. Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Soletski and Zigmunt and Senators Hansen and Risser for their work on the bill.
-
SB 204, which prohibits discrimination in housing because of domestic abuse status. Governor Doyle thanked Senators Coggs and Taylor and Representatives Parisi and Suder for getting the bill to his desk.
-
SB 278, which makes various changes affecting U-turns that make
Wisconsin more consistent with neighboring states. Governor Doyle thanked Senators Sullivan and Kanavas and Representatives Steinbrink and Nerison for their work on the bill.
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://themonroetimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&subsectionID=2&articleID=15645
| 12/10/2009 4:53:00 PM |
| An air of victory for advocate
School air quality bill signed Thursday
Andrew Hellpap
MONROE - For Darlington native Jeanne Black and her family, it's been a three-plus-year battle to improve the air quality in Wisconsin's schools, but today their fight helped produce a victory.
But that success is only the start of her campaign to help change indoor air quality in schools nationwide, she said.
In 2006, Black wanted to do something about the indoor air quality of the Darlington school district, so she contacted then state Rep. Steve Freese about enacting legislation.
That effort produced a Senate bill that was not signed into law because of a lack of support from interested parties around the state, Black said.
Her hope to clear the air in the state's schools was revived by a Milwaukee-area senator over the summer. Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, and his staff, created Senate Bill 41 to address needs in his Milwaukee-area district, which contains some school buildings over 90 years old. Then, a State Assembly version, bill 385, was introduced in July.
The bills were passed by the Assembly and Senate and will be signed into law today by Gov. Jim Doyle. Black and her husband Richard, and their daughter Jade, will attend the signing, she said.
"As far as my daughter and I, we feel this is an achievement, but it's also a start," Black said.
Black advocated for increased regulation of school indoor air quality since her daughter developed asthma due, she said, to poor air quality in Darlington's middle school building.
Through groups like School Mold Health, located in California, and New York-based Healthy Schools Network, Black plans to keep fighting to enact laws in the 21 states that don't have any, she said.
Black testified in state Senate and Assembly hearings on the bills, and her contributions were part of the "Sick Schools 2009" study presented to the U.S. House of Representatives, which was released publicly Dec. 3.
The next step in the new Wisconsin indoor air quality law will be for the state Department of Public Instruction to form a 17-member task force to develop guidelines and a course of action for the state's public and private school districts to enact. It is up to the districts to develop a system of meeting the standards.
The task force includes the state superintendent, secretary of commerce, secretary of health services, a representative of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, as well as various state school administrative and union groups.
Black didn't know how long it would take to form the task force, but she said it would take a fair amount of time.
|
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Article comment by: taxpayer
The School Indoor Environmental Quality law provides school districts with expertise and guidance from a state task force of diverse members that will develop recommendations for a model management plan for maintaining indoor environmental quality in schools. Additionally, the law ensures that over time all school districts adopt and implement a locally developed plan to maintain indoor environmental quality in their school buildings.
More than 20 states have passed laws to address indoor environmental quality in schools. Schools throughout Wisconsin are struggling with air quality concerns such as mold, fungi, asbestos, carbon dioxide, and poor ventilation. Left unaddressed, such issues can lead to health problems, reduced student academic achievement and teacher performance, accelerated school building deterioration, school closings, and student and staff relocation – all major disruptions of the learning process and permanent disability.
Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009
Article comment by: Two points:
1. Why does it take the formation of a 17 member task force to get this ball rolling, particularly when other states have policies on the books that could be used as templates? I think you're being backburnered via DPI bureaucracy.
2. Isn't the real problem here that school districts, due to financial problems, have been postponing routine plumbing and roofing maintenance on buildings? They still don't have the money for maintenance, and certainly aren't going to have it for corrective actions on mold. I don't supposed the legislature mentioned how this was going to be funded, did they?
Posted: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Article comment by: A helping friend
Good job Jeanne keep up the fight. Maybe this will help for my loss in helping you with your cause. A friend.....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News HeadlinesWisconsin Education Association
Doyle signs school air quality, labor history education bills into law
Posted: 12/11/2009 8:58:09 AM
 | Surrounded by supporters, Governor Jim Doyle signs a bill requiring that the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process be incorporated into the state's model academic standards for social studies. |
Governor Jim Doyle on Thursday (December 10, 2009) signed into law bills protecting indoor school environmental quality as well as incorporating the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process into the state's model academic standards for social studies.
Protecting school air quality is a 2009-10 WEAC Legislative Agenda. The School Indoor Environmental Quality law provides school districts with expertise and guidance from a state task force of diverse members that will develop recommendations for a model management plan for maintaining indoor environmental quality in schools. Additionally, the law ensures that over time all school districts adopt and implement a locally developed plan to maintain indoor environmental quality in their school buildings.
More than 20 states have passed laws to address indoor environmental quality in schools. Schools throughout Wisconsin are struggling with air quality concerns such as mold, fungi, asbestos, carbon dioxide, and poor ventilation. Left unaddressed, such issues can lead to health problems, reduced student academic achievement and teacher performance, accelerated school building deterioration, school closings, and student and staff relocation – all major disruptions of the learning process.
The school indoor environmental quality bill was authored by Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Representative Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee).
The labor history education law requires that the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process be incorporated into the state's model academic standards for social studies. The law helps make students more aware about working class heroes who have led the charge to bring equity and justice to the workplace.
The labor history bill was authored by Representative Andy Jorgensen (D-Fort Atkinson) and Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LAW, CLICK HERE |
