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H124 • 2025

An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren

An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren

Agriculture Children Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Gentile, Carmine Lawrence
Last action
2026-02-05
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren

An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren By Representatives Gentile of Sudbury and Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren By Representatives Gentile of Sudbury and Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 124) of Carmine Lawrence Gentile, Mary S.
  • Keefe and others relative to pesticide products eligible for use on the outdoor grounds of schools, child care centers or school age child care programs.
  • Agriculture.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-05 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

  2. 2025-10-17 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 10/27/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1

  3. 2025-08-11 Senate

    Senate concurred

  4. 2025-08-07 House

    Discharged to the committee on Environment and Natural Resources

  5. 2025-06-27 Joint

    Referred, pursuant to an order adopted by the two branches, to the committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

  6. 2025-06-26 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 07/09/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1

  7. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Agriculture

  8. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren
By Representatives Gentile of Sudbury and Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 124) of Carmine Lawrence Gentile, Mary S. Keefe and others relative to pesticide products eligible for use on the outdoor grounds of schools, child care centers or school age child care programs. Agriculture.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.124

SECTION 1. Section 6C of Chapter 132B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “center”, in lines 3, 6 and 10, each time it appears, the following words:- , property occupied by the department of children and families, facilities of the juvenile court, facilities of the department of youth services, sports fields for town youth teams.

SECTION 2. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “program”, in lines 3, 7 and 11, each time it appears, the following words:- or on properties within 150 feet thereof, including abutters.

SECTION 3. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “school”, in line 11 and line 27, the following words:- or department.

SECTION 4. Said Section 6C of said Chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following new subsection:-

(d) This section shall apply regardless of what entity hires a party to spray, release, deposit or apply pesticides. This section shall apply whether a hiring entity is a public or private owner of real property, a management company for real property, or any other person or legal entity.

SECTION 5. Said section 6G of said chapter 132B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding following paragraph:-

Notwithstanding the forgoing, a school, child care center, public institution of higher education or school age child care program shall only use pesticide products that: (i) are classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 152.25, as amended; or (ii) include no active ingredients other than those published in the National List at 7 C.F.R 205.601, as amended; provided, however, that a school, child care center, public institution of higher education or school age child care program may be granted a hardship waiver, at the discretion of the department, for use of a pesticide that does not meet such qualifications.

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