Shine Safely Act of 2025

Statement of Introduction The Shine Safely Act of 2025 September 22, 2025 Today, alongside Councilmembers Pinto, Allen, and Nadeau, I am introducing the Shine Safely Act of 2025, legislation that will phase out mercury-containing compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent lamps in the District of Columbia to protect public health, the environment, and workers. While fluorescent lighting has been common for decades, LED alternatives are now widely available, use roughly half as much electricity, and cost less to operate over time. The slightly higher upfront price of LEDs continues to decline each year and is more than offset by lower electric bills, making them a practical choice for residents and businesses alike. Transitioning to LEDs also reduces planet-warming emissions from power plants and lowers demand on the electric grid. Fluorescent lighting poses significant risks when it breaks and releases mercury. Even small amounts of mercury exposure can damage the nervous, immune, and renal systems and harm lung function. Children and fetuses are especially vulnerable, with mercury exposure potentially impairing cognitive, language, motor, and visual development and affecting human reproduction. Workers who handle the removal, disposal, or recycling of fluorescent lamps, as well as communities near disposal sites, face heightened risks. The World Health Organization lists mercury among the top ten chemicals of major public health concern, and ten U.S. states have already enacted laws restricting the sale and distribution of mercury-containing fluorescent lighting. Compared to these jurisdictions, the District’s standards remain outdated. The Shine Safely Act of 2025 provides a practical, commonsense fix. By phasing out the sale and distribution of mercury-containing fluorescent lighting, it advances public health, environmental protection, worker safety, and long-term cost savings for District residents and businesses. I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this legislation forward and help ensure a safer, more energy-efficient future for our community.

1 2 _______________________________ _______________________________ 3 Councilmember Charles Allen Councilmember Janeese Lewis George 4 5 6 _______________________________ _______________________________ 7 Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Brianne Nadeau 8 9 10 A BILL 11 12 _______ 13 14 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 15 16 _________________________ 17 18 19 To prohibit the sale and distribution of mercury-containing, compact fluorescent lamps and linear 20 fluorescent lamps, to establish periodic inspections of distributors or retailers to determine 21 compliance, to require the Department of Energy and the Environment to issue warnings or 22 civil penalties, and to investigate complaints received concerning violations of this act. 23 24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act 25 may be cited as “Shine Safely Act of 2025”. 26 Sec. 2. Definitions. 27 For purposes of this act, the term: 28 (1) “Compact fluorescent lamp” means a compact low-pressure, mercury-containing, 29 electric discharge light source in which a fluorescent coating transforms some of the ultraviolet energy 30 generated by the mercury discharge into visible light, and includes all of the following characteristics: 31 (A) One base (end cap) of any type, including screw, bayonet, 2 pins, and 4 32 pins; 33 (B) Integrally ballasted or non-integrally ballasted; 34

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(C) Light emission between a correlated color temperature of 1700K and 35 24000K and a Duv of +0.024 and -0.024 in the International Commission on Illumination (“CIE”) 36 Uniform Color Space (“CAM02-UCS”); 37 (D) All tube diameters and all tube lengths; and 38 (E) All lamp sizes and shapes for directional and nondirectional installations, 39 including: PL, spiral, twin tube, triple twin, 2D, U-bend, and circular. 40 (2) “Linear fluorescent lamp” means a low-pressure, mercury-containing, electric-41 discharge light source in which fluorescent coating transforms some of the ultraviolet energy 42 generated by the mercury discharge into visible light, and includes all of the following characteristics: 43 (A) Two bases (end caps) of any type, including single-pin, 2-pin, and recessed 44 double contact; 45 (B) Light emission between a correlated color temperature of 1700K and 46 24000K and a Duv of +0.024 and -0.024 in the CIE CAM02-UCS; 47 (C) All tube diameters, including, but not limited to, T5, T8, T10, and T12; 48 (D) All tube lengths from 0.5 to 8.0 feet, inclusive; and 49 (E) All lamp shapes, including linear, U-bend, and circular. 50 Sec. 3. Phasing out. 51 (a) On and after July 1, 2027, it shall be a violation of this act to offer for final sale, sell at final 52 sale, or distribute in the District as a new manufactured product a screw or bayonet base type compact 53 fluorescent lamp. 54 (b) On and after July 1, 2028, it shall be a violation of this act to offer for final sale, sell at 55 final sale, or distribute in the District as a new manufactured product a pin-base type compact 56 fluorescent lamp or a linear fluorescent lamp. 57

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(c) This act shall not apply to a lamp: 58 (1) Designed and marketed exclusively for image capture and projection, including: 59 (A) Photocopying; 60 (B) Printing, directly or in preprocesses; 61 (C) Lithography; 62 (D) Film or video projection; or 63 (E) Holography. 64 (2) Has a high proportion of ultraviolet light emission and: 65 (A) With high ultraviolet content that has ultraviolet power greater than two 66 milliwatts per kilolumen (mW/klm); 67 (B) For germicidal use, such as the destruction of DNA, that emits a peak 68 radiation of approximately 253.7 nanometers; 69 (C) Designed and marketed exclusively for disinfection or fly trapping from 70 which either the radiation power emitted between 250 and 315 nanometers represents at least 5 71 percent of, or the radiation power emitted between 315 and 400 nanometers represents at least 20 72 percent of, the total radiation power emitted between 250 and 800 nanometers; 73 (D) Designed and marketed exclusively for the generation of ozone, where the 74 primary purpose is to emit radiation at approximately 185.1 nanometers; 75 (E) Designed and marketed exclusively for coral zooxanthellae symbiosis from 76 which the radiation power emitted between 400 and 480 nanometers represents at least 40 percent of 77 the total radiation power emitted between 250 and 800 nanometers; or 78 (F) Designed and marketed exclusively for use in a sunlamp product, as that 79 term is defined in 21 C.F.R. § 1040.20(b)(9) in effect on the effective date of act; 80

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(3) Designed and marketed exclusively for use in medical or veterinary diagnosis or 81 treatment, or in a medical device; 82 (4) Designed and marketed exclusively for use in the manufacturing or quality control 83 of pharmaceutical products; 84 (5) Designed and marketed exclusively for spectroscopy and photometric applications, 85 such as UV-visible spectroscopy, molecular spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, 86 nondispersive infrared, Fourier transform infrared, medical analysis, ellipsometry, layer thickness 87 measurement, process monitoring, or environmental monitoring; 88 (6) Designed and marketed exclusively for use by academic and research institutions 89 for conducting research projects and experiments; or 90 (7) That is a compact fluorescent lamp used to replace a lamp in a motor vehicle that 91 was manufactured on or before January 1, 2020. 92 Sec. 4. Implementation. 93 (a)(1) The Department of Energy and the Environment (“DOEE”) shall conduct periodic 94 inspections of distributors or retailers in order to determine compliance with the provisions of this 95 act. 96 (2) DOEE shall track all complaints received concerning violations of this act, the 97 agency’s response to each complaint, and the resolution of each complaint. 98 (b)(1) If DOEE finds that a person has committed a violation of any provision of this act, 99 DOEE shall issue a Notice of Violation to such person if it is their first violation. 100 (2) A person who commits a second violation shall be subject to a civil penalty of up 101 to $100 for each offense. 102

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(3) A person who commits any further violations shall be subject to a civil penalty of 103 not more than $500 for each offense. 104 (c) If a person commits a fifth violation of the provisions of this act, it shall be referred to 105 the Office of the Attorney General, who may institute proceedings in Superior Court to enforce the 106 provisions of this act. 107 (d) The Mayor, pursuant to Title I of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure 108 Act, approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; D.C. Official Code § 2-501 et seq.), may issue rules 109 to implement the provisions of this act. 110 Sec. 5. Fiscal impact statement. 111 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact 112 statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved 113 October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 114 Sec. 6. Effective date. 115 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 116 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review as 117 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 118 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). 119