File No. 71

House of Representatives, March 16, 2017

The Committee on Children reported through REP. URBAN of the 43rd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF RECYCLED TIRE RUBBER AT MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2017) (a) For the purposes of this section, "crumb rubber" means any material that contains shredded or ground rubber recycled from motor vehicle tires.

(b) On and after October 1, 2017, no person shall install a crumb rubber ground cover within the boundaries of a municipal playground, as defined by subdivision (7) of subsection (a) of section 22a-66m of the general statutes, or a playground located at a school under the jurisdiction of a local or regional board of education.

(c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to an installation that is the subject of a contract entered into prior to July 1, 2017.

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst's professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact:

Explanation

The bill bans the installation of recycled tire rubber on municipal and school playgrounds after October 1, 2017. To the extent that a municipality uses recycled tire rubber on playgrounds, there is a potential cost if the municipality chooses a more expensive alternative.

The cost will vary based on: 1) the alternative product a municipality chooses, and 2) the amount of the chosen alternative product needed by the municipality.

The Out Years

The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to changes in the cost of products municipalities use to replace recycled tire rubber.

OLR Bill Analysis

HB 6998

AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF RECYCLED TIRE RUBBER AT MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS.

SUMMARY

This bill prohibits, starting October 1, 2017, the installation of crumb rubber ground cover on municipal and public school playgrounds unless a contract for such installation was entered into before July 1, 2017. Under the bill, “crumb rubber” is any material that contains shredded or ground rubber recycled from motor vehicle tires.

By law, a “municipal playground” is an outdoor area owned or controlled by any town, city, borough, consolidated town and city, or consolidated town and borough that is designated, dedicated, and customarily used by children for playing, including any such area that contains a swing set, slide, climbing structure, playset, or device or object upon which children play. Playgrounds on school premises (to which the bill's prohibition also applies) are not considered municipal playgrounds.

The bill's prohibition does not apply to fields or open spaces used primarily for sporting activities (athletic fields).

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2017

BACKGROUND

Federal Crumb Rubber Study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are currently researching the safety of crumb rubber used as ground cover for playing fields and playgrounds.

EPA's most recent status report (issued December 30, 2016) indicated that the research will continue in 2017.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Committee on Children

Joint Favorable