A05896 Summary:

BILL NOA05896
 
SAME ASSAME AS S03932
 
SPONSORSchimel
 
COSPNSREnglebright, Colton, Jaffee, Titone, Crespo, Gottfried, Dinowitz, Rosenthal, Miller, Montesano, Lifton, Otis, Peoples-Stokes, Abinanti, Linares, Stirpe, Kearns, Hevesi, Zebrowski, Simon, McDonough, Gunther, Ryan, Fahy, Paulin, Lavine, Steck, Hooper, Kavanagh, Lupardo
 
MLTSPNSRCeretto, Cook, Galef, Glick, Magee, McKevitt, Rivera, Robinson, Seawright, Solages, Thiele
 
Add Art 37 Title 9 SS37-0901 - 37-0909, amd S71-3703, En Con L
 
Enacts the "Microbead-free waters act" to prohibit the sale of personal cosmetic products containing microbeads.
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A05896 Actions:

BILL NOA05896
 
03/05/2015referred to environmental conservation
03/17/2015reported referred to codes
03/24/2015reported
03/27/2015advanced to third reading cal.156
04/22/2015passed assembly
04/22/2015delivered to senate
04/22/2015REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
01/06/2016DIED IN SENATE
01/06/2016RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
01/06/2016ordered to third reading cal.223
02/02/2016recommitted to environmental conservation
02/02/2016enacting clause stricken
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A05896 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A5896
 
SPONSOR: Schimel (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to prohibiting the distribution and sale of personal cosmetic products containing microbeads   PURPOSE OF BILL: The bill would prohibit the sale of personal cosmetic products which contain microbeads.   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF BILL: Section one of the bill provides the legislative intent of title 9 of article 37 of the environmental conservation law. Section two amends article 37 of the environmental conservation law by adding a new title 9 which: 1. establishes the title of the Act as the "Microbead-free Waters Act"; 2. defines the terms "microbead" and "personal cosmetic product"; 3. prohibits the sale of personal cosmetic products which contain micro-beads; 4. vests all matters pertaining to microbeads in personal cosmetic products with the State; and 5. authorizes the Department of Environmental Conservation to promulgate rules and regulations to implement Title 9. Section three amends section 71-3703 of the environmental conservation law to establish penalties for violations. Section four is the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: New York State has spent a tremendous amount of money to revitalize and redevelop its waterfronts. Recently, microbeads, a plastic product often measured to be as small as a grain of sand, have been found in high concentrations in New York's Great Lakes, as well as in the Finger Lakes and Mohawk River. The source of this pollution appears to be the sinks, bathtubs and showers in our own homes. Consumers using personal cosmet- ics that contain microbeads, like shampoos, soaps and toothpastes, are washing away what most believe are harmless consumer waste. Unfortu- nately, many of our wastewater treatment plants are unable, absent cost- ly upgrades, to filter out these tiny plastics. In response to this new source of pollution, some major corporations have pledged to phase out the use of microbeads in their personal cosmetic products. To this end, the Microbead-free Waters Act seeks to ensure all other personal cosmetic companies follow suit by prohibiting the distribution, and sale of personal cosmetic products that contain microbeads.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is new legislation.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: None.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect January 1, 2016.
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A05896 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5896
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      March 5, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SCHIMEL, ENGLEBRIGHT, COLTON, JAFFEE, TITONE,
          CRESPO, GOTTFRIED, DINOWITZ, ROSENTHAL, ROBERTS, MILLER -- Multi-Spon-
          sored by -- M. of A. COOK, SOLAGES,  THIELE  --  (at  request  of  the
          Department of Law) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Envi-
          ronmental Conservation
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
          prohibiting the distribution and sale of  personal  cosmetic  products
          containing microbeads
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Legislative intent.   The  legislature  hereby  finds  that
     2  microbeads, a synthetic alternative ingredient to such natural materials
     3  as  ground  almonds,  oatmeal  and  pumice,  found  in  over one hundred
     4  personal cosmetic products, including  facial  cleansers,  shampoos  and
     5  toothpastes, pose a serious threat to New York's environment.
     6    Microbeads have been documented to collect harmful pollutants, already
     7  present  in  the  environment, and harm fish and other aquatic organisms
     8  that form the base of the aquatic food chain.  Recently, microbeads have
     9  been recorded in New York's water bodies, and in particular, the  waters
    10  of  Lake  Erie. Research has suggested that the majority of these micro-
    11  beads are entering water bodies through disposal down  household  drains
    12  following the use of such personal cosmetic products.
    13    Without  significant  and  costly  improvements to the majority of New
    14  York's sewage treatment facilities,  microbeads  contained  in  personal
    15  cosmetic  products will continue to pollute New York's waters and hinder
    16  the ongoing efforts to restore the state's lakes and rivers, recreation-
    17  al and commercial fisheries  as  well  as  recent  substantial  economic
    18  investments in redeveloping New York's waterfronts.
    19    §  2.  Article  37 of the environmental conservation law is amended by
    20  adding a new title 9 to read as follows:
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09275-02-5

        A. 5896                             2
 
     1                                   TITLE 9
     2                                 MICROBEADS
     3  Section 37-0901. Short title.
     4          37-0903. Definitions.
     5          37-0905. Personal cosmetic products containing microbeads.
     6          37-0907. Preemption.
     7          37-0909. Rules and regulations.
     8  § 37-0901. Short title.
     9    This  title  shall  be  known  and may be cited as the "microbead-free
    10  waters act."
    11  § 37-0903. Definitions.
    12    1. The term "microbead" shall mean any plastic component of a personal
    13  cosmetic product measured to be five millimeters or less in size.
    14    2. The term "personal cosmetic product" shall  mean  any  (a)  article
    15  intended  to  be  rubbed,  poured,  sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced
    16  into, or otherwise applied to the human body or  any  part  thereof  for
    17  cleansing,   beautifying,  promoting  attractiveness,  or  altering  the
    18  appearance, and (b) article intended for use as a component of any  such
    19  article.    The  term  "personal cosmetic product" shall not include any
    20  product for which a prescription is required for distribution or dispen-
    21  sation as provided in section  two  hundred  eighty-one  of  the  public
    22  health  law  or  section six thousand eight hundred ten of the education
    23  law.
    24  § 37-0905. Personal cosmetic products containing microbeads.
    25    No person shall sell or offer for sale any personal  cosmetic  product
    26  which  contains  intentionally-added  microbeads;  provided,  however, a
    27  personal cosmetic product that is also regulated as a drug by the United
    28  States Food and Drug Administration may be  sold  or  offered  for  sale
    29  until January first, two thousand seventeen.
    30  § 37-0907. Preemption.
    31    Jurisdiction  in  all matters pertaining to microbeads which are regu-
    32  lated pursuant to the provisions of this title shall  be  vested  exclu-
    33  sively in the state.
    34  § 37-0909. Rules and regulations.
    35    The  department is authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations
    36  as it shall deem necessary to implement the provisions of this title.
    37    § 3. Section 71-3703 of the environmental conservation law is  amended
    38  by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
    39    4.  Any  person who violates any of the provisions of, or who fails to
    40  perform any duty imposed by section 37-0905 of this chapter or any  rule
    41  or  regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, shall be liable for a civil
    42  penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred  dollars  for  each  day
    43  during  which  such  violation  continues, and in addition thereto, such
    44  person may be enjoined from continuing such violation. Such person shall
    45  for a second violation be liable to the people of the state for a  civil
    46  penalty  not  to  exceed five thousand dollars for each day during which
    47  such violation continues and such person may be enjoined from continuing
    48  such violation.
    49    § 4. This act shall take effect January 1, 2016.
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