"Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act"; establishes requirements, prohibitions, and programs for regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

A2033

ASSEMBLY, No. 2033

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman SHAMA A. HAIDER

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN

District 38 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Verrelli, Assemblywoman Speight, Assemblyman
Calabrese, Assemblywomen Park and Reynolds-Jackson

SYNOPSIS

���� "Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act";
establishes requirements, prohibitions, and programs for regulation of
perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl
substances, supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes, and making an
appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act.�

���� 2.� The Legislature finds and
declares:� that perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are
man-made chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms bonded to a chain
of carbon atoms; that there are several thousand different types of PFAS, and
new types are invented on a nearly daily basis; that since the 1930s, PFAS have
been widely used in countless consumer products because they repel oil, water,
and grease; and that PFAS continue to be used across a variety of industries
for a variety of purposes and are ultimately contained in many of the products
sold in the State.

���� The Legislature further finds
and declares:� that the carbon-fluorine bond used to make PFAS is one of the
strongest chemical bonds and does not break down under typical environmental
conditions; that PFAS are nicknamed �forever chemicals� because they accumulate
in the environment, rather than break down, over time; that PFAS enters the
environment through manufacturing processes and waste streams, and humans are
exposed through contaminated food, dust, air, drinking water, and certain
consumer products; that human exposure to these chemicals has been linked to
endocrine disruption, cancer, immuno-toxicity, and developmental impacts; and
that PFAS have been detected in the blood serum of 98 percent of humans tested.

���� The Legislature further finds
and declares:� that contamination of air, soil, and water in the State from
PFAS poses a significant threat to the environment of the State and to the
health of its citizens; that the full extent of PFAS contamination in the State
is not presently known, but is anticipated to be widespread and to require a
significant expenditure of resources to identify and remediate; and that, to
address the imminent threat of further contamination of air, soil, and water in
the State and protect the public health of citizens in the State, it is
imperative to conduct PFAS-related research within the State and to phase out
the sale of certain nonessential products containing PFAS.

���� The Legislature therefore
determines that it is in the best interest of the residents of New Jersey for
PFAS to be prohibited from being intentionally added to certain products being
manufactured and sold within the State, for manufacturers of cookware products
containing PFAS to notify consumers about the presence of PFAS in their
products, and for educational programming and research concerning PFAS to be
available to residents in the State.

���� 3.��� As used in this act:

���� �Carpet� means a rug or fabric
marketed or intended for use as a floor covering.

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Environmental Protection.

���� �Cookware� means durable
houseware items that are used to prepare, dispense, or store food, foodstuffs,
or, and that are intended for direct food contact, including pots, pans,
skillets, grills, baking sheets, baking molds, trays, bowls, and cooking
utensils.� �Cookware� does not include products that are intended for
commercial use only.

���� �Cosmetic� means (1) articles
intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or
otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing,
beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, and (2)
articles intended for use as a component of any such articles; except that such
term shall not include soap.

����
�Department�
means the Department of Environmental Protection.

���� �Fabric
treatment� means a substance applied to fabric to give the fabric one or more
characteristics, including, but not limited to, stain resistance or water
resistance.

���� �Food packaging� means a
nondurable package, packaging component, or food service ware that is intended
to contain, serve, store, handle, protect, or market food, foodstuffs, or
beverages, and is composed, in substantial part, of paper, paperboard, or other
materials originally derived from plant fibers. �Food packaging� includes food
or beverage containers, take-out food containers, unit product boxes, liners,
wrappers, serving vessels, eating utensils, straws, food boxes, and disposable
plates, bowls, or trays.

���� �Intentionally
added PFAS� means PFAS added to a product or intentionally used during the
development of a product or one of its product components to provide a specific
characteristic, appearance, or quality or to perform a specific function.�
�Intentionally added PFAS� also includes any degradation byproducts of PFAS.� "Intentionally

added PFAS� shall not include a technically unavoidable trace quantity
of PFAS which stems from impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients or the
manufacturing process, storage, or migration from packaging of the product or
product component.�

���� �Internal
component� means an internal part of a product, whether permanently affixed or
removable, that is designed and intended to not be touched by a person during
the intended use or handling of the product.� �Internal component� includes
parts of a product used for holding batteries, regardless of whether the parts
are touched when replacing batteries.

���� �Manufacturer�
means the person that manufactures a product or whose brand name is affixed to
the product. �In the case of a product imported into the United States,
�manufacturer� includes the importer or first domestic distributor of the
product if the person that manufactured or assembled the product or whose brand
name is affixed to the product does not have a presence in the United States.

���� �Perfluoroalkyl
and polyfluoroalkyl substances� or �PFAS� means substances that include any
member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one
fully fluorinated carbon atom.

���� �Product�
means an item manufactured, assembled, packaged, or otherwise prepared for sale
to consumers, including its product components, which is sold or distributed
for personal, residential, commercial, or industrial use, including for use in
making other products.

���� �Product
component� means an identifiable component of a product, regardless of whether
the manufacturer of the product is the manufacturer of the component.

���� �Product label� means a
display of written, printed, or graphic material that appears on, or is affixed
to, the exterior of a product, or its exterior container or wrapper that is
visible to a consumer, if the product has an exterior container or wrapper.

���� 4.� a.� Beginning two years
after the effective date of this act, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or
distribute for sale in the State any cosmetic product that contains
intentionally added PFAS.

���� b.� If a cosmetic product
contains a technically unavoidable trace quantity of PFAS, which stems from
impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients or the manufacturing process,
storage, or migration from packaging of the cosmetic product, that trace quantity
shall not cause the product to be in violation of this section.

���� c.� The provisions of this
section shall not apply to a product that contains intentionally added PFAS
only in electronic components or internal components of the product.

���� 5.� a.� Beginning two years after
the effective date of this act, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or
distribute for sale in the State a carpet or fabric treatment that contains
intentionally added PFAS.� This prohibition shall not apply to the sale or
resale of a used carpet or fabric treatment.

���� b.��� If a carpet or fabric
treatment contains a technically unavoidable trace quantity of PFAS, which
stems from impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients or the manufacturing
process, storage, or migration from packaging of the product, that trace quantity
shall not cause the product to be in violation of this section.

���� 6.� a.� Beginning two years
after the effective date of this act, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or distribute
for sale in the State any food packaging that contains intentionally added
PFAS.

���� b.��� If a food packaging
product contains a technically unavoidable trace quantity of PFAS, which stems
from impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients or the manufacturing
process, storage, or migration from packaging of the product, that trace
quantity shall not cause the product to be in violation of this section.

���� 7.� a.� Beginning two years
after the effective date of this act, a manufacturer of cookware sold in the
State that contains
an
intentionally added PFAS in the handle of the
product or in any product surface that comes into contact with food,
foodstuffs, or beverages shall list the presence of the intentionally added
PFAS on the product label.

���� b.� The product label of a
cookware product containing PFAS shall include a statement, in both English and
Spanish, that reads: �This product contains PFAS.�

���� c.��� A manufacturer of
cookware sold in the State shall ensure that the statement required on the
product label pursuant to subsection b. of this section is visible and legible
to the consumer, including on the product listing for online sales.

���� d.��� Beginning two years
after the effective date of this act, a manufacturer shall not make a claim, on
the product label or Internet website for the cookware product, that the
cookware is free of PFAS if PFAS was intentionally added to the cookware.

���� e.� Cookware that meets both
of the following requirements shall be exempt from the labeling requirements of
this section:

���� (1) the surface area of the
cookware cannot fit a product label of at least two square inches; and

���� (2) the cookware does not have
either of the following:

���� (a) an exterior container or
wrapper on which a product label can appear or be affixed; or

���� (b) a tag or other attachment
with information about the product attached to the cookware.

���� f.� The provisions of this
section shall not apply to a product that contains intentionally added PFAS
only in electronic components or internal components of the product.

���� g.� Notwithstanding the
provisions of this section to the contrary, any cookware product with a product
label that lists the presence of PFAS pursuant to another state or federal law
shall be deemed in compliance with the requirements of this section.

���� 8.� a.� Beginning two years
after the effective date of this act, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or
distribute for sale within the State cookware that contains PFAS unless the
cookware and the manufacturer of the cookware have complied with the labeling
requirements established pursuant to section 7 of this act.

���� b.� If a cookware product
contains a technically unavoidable trace quantity of PFAS, which stems from
impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients or the manufacturing process,
storage, or migration from packaging of the product, that trace quantity shall
not cause the product to be in violation of this section.

���� 9.� a.� As used in this
section, �consumer product� means
an item
manufactured, assembled, packaged, or otherwise prepared for sale to consumers,
including its product components, which is sold or distributed for personal,
residential, or commercial use.� �Consumer product� shall not include the
following:� (1) drugs, dietary supplements, medical devices, or cosmetics as
those terms are defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
s.301 et seq.); (2) products regulated under the �Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act� (7 U.S.C. s.136 et seq.); (3) medical food, as
that term is defined in 21 U.S.C. s.360ee(b)(3); (4) drugs, biological
products, parasiticides, medical devices, or in vitro diagnostics that are used
to treat, or that are administered to, animals, and are regulated by the United
States Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. s.301 et seq.), or by the United States Department of
Agriculture pursuant to 21 U.S.C. ss.151-159, known as the Virus-Serum-Toxin
Act; (5) medical equipment and products, and the packaging or packaging
components thereof, which are used in healthcare settings, including hospitals
and clinics that are regulated by the United States Food and Drug
Administration, or which are used for the dispensing of medication; and (6)
medical equipment or products, and the packaging or packaging components
thereof, which are intended for �Research Use Only,� as defined in the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. s.301 et seq.).

���� b.� In determining which
additional consumer products containing PFAS the department shall recommend,
pursuant to subsection c. of this section, to be prohibited for sale or
distribution within the State, the department shall prioritize consumer product
categories or uses that, in the department's judgment, pose the greatest risk
to public health or are most likely to cause contamination of the State's air,
land, or water resources if they contain intentionally added PFAS.

���� c.� The department shall
recommend to the Legislature consumer products, in addition to those prohibited
from being sold, offered for sale, or distributed pursuant to this act, by
category or use, that should not be sold, offered for sale, or distributed for
sale in this State if they contain intentionally added PFAS.

���� 10. �The department may audit
or investigate a manufacturer of a product covered under the provisions of this
act to assess the manufacturer's compliance with the requirements of this act.�
Each year, the department may audit, or cause to be audited, a random sample of
manufacturers of products covered under the provisions of this act in order to
determine compliance with this act.� A manufacturer shall cooperate fully with
any audit or investigation conducted pursuant to this section.� The department
may require a manufacturer to pay the costs of an audit conducted pursuant to
this section.

���� 11.� a.� Whenever the
Commissioner of Environmental Protection finds that a person has violated any
provision of this act, or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto,
including violating the provisions of subsection d. of section 7 of this act by
making a false claim on the product label or Internet website for a cookware
product, the commissioner may:

���� (1)� issue an order requiring
the person found to be in violation to comply in accordance with subsection b.
of this section;

���� (2)� bring a civil action in
accordance with subsection c. of this section;

���� (3)� levy a civil
administrative penalty in accordance with subsection d. of this section;

���� (4)� bring an action for a
civil penalty in accordance with subsection e. of this section;

���� (5) direct a manufacturer or
other person that is not in compliance with the requirements of this act to
stop offering for sale or distributing certain products that contain
intentionally-added PFAS; or

���� (6) notify the public of a
manufacturer that is not in compliance with the requirements of this act.

���� The exercise of any of the
remedies provided in this section shall not preclude the seeking of any other
remedy specified.

���� b.��� Whenever the
commissioner finds that a person has violated this act, or any rule or
regulation adopted pursuant thereto, the commissioner may issue an
administrative enforcement order specifying the provision or provisions of this
act, or the rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, of which the person is
in violation, citing the action that constituted the violation, requiring
compliance with the provision violated, and giving notice to the person of the
person's right to a hearing on the matters contained in the administrative
enforcement order.� The ordered person shall have 20 calendar days from receipt
of the order within which to deliver to the commissioner a written request for
a hearing.� After the hearing and upon finding that a violation has occurred,
the commissioner may issue a final order.� If no hearing is requested, the
order shall become final after the expiration of the 20-day period.� A request
for hearing shall not automatically stay the effect of the order.

���� c.��� The commissioner is
authorized to institute a civil action in Superior Court for appropriate relief
from any violation of the provisions of this act, or any rule or regulation
adopted pursuant thereto.� This relief may include an assessment against the violator
for the costs of any investigation, inspection, or audit that led to the
discovery and establishment of the violation, and for the reasonable costs of
preparing and litigating the case under this subsection.

���� d.��� The commissioner is
authorized to impose a civil administrative penalty of not less than $1,000 nor
more than $20,000 for each violation, provided that each day during which the
violation continues shall constitute an additional, separate and distinct offense.�
In assessing a civil administrative penalty, the commissioner shall consider
the severity of the violation, the measures taken to prevent further
violations, and whether the penalty will maintain an appropriate deterrent.�
Prior to assessment of a civil administrative penalty, the person committing
the violation shall be notified by certified mail or personal service that the
penalty is being assessed.� The notice shall identify the section of the
statute, rule, regulation, or order violated; recite the facts alleged to
constitute a violation; state the basis for the amount of the civil
administrative penalties to be assessed; and affirm the rights of the alleged
violator to a hearing.� The ordered party shall have 35 days from receipt of
the notice within which to deliver to the commissioner a written request for a
hearing.� After the hearing and upon finding that a violation has occurred, the
commissioner may issue a final order after assessing the amount of the fine
specified in the notice.� If no hearing is requested, the notice shall become a
final order after the expiration of the 35-day period.� Payment of the
assessment is due when a final order is issued or the notice becomes a final
order.� The authority to levy an administrative order is in addition to all
other enforcement provisions in this act, and the payment of any assessment
shall not be deemed to affect the availability of any other enforcement
provisions in connection with the violation for which the assessment is
levied.� The department may compromise any civil administrative penalty
assessed under this section in an amount and with conditions the department
determines appropriate.

���� e.��� A person who violates
any provision of this act, or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto,
or an administrative order issued pursuant to subsection b. of this section, or
a court order issued pursuant to subsection c. of this section, or who fails to
pay a civil administrative penalty in full pursuant to subsection d. of this
section, or who knowingly makes any false or misleading statement on any
application, record, report, or other document required to be submitted to the
department, shall be subject, upon order of a court, to a civil penalty not to
exceed $25,000 per day of the violation, and each day during which the
violation continues shall constitute an additional, separate, and distinct
offense.� Any civil penalty imposed pursuant to this subsection may be
collected with costs in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty
Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), or may be
collected in a civil action commenced by the commissioner.� In addition to any penalties,
costs or interest charges, the Superior Court, or the municipal court as the
case may be, may assess against the violator the amount of economic benefit
accruing to the violator from the violation.

���� 12.� a.� No later than one
year after the effective date of this act, the department shall establish and
implement a source reduction program to reduce the presence of PFAS in the
State�s air, water, and soil by encouraging the proper management of materials
that contain PFAS and the use of safer alternatives.� The program shall
include, at a minimum:

���� (1) informational resources
targeted to industrial and commercial users of PFAS;

���� (2) education of the general
public concerning PFAS and its environmental and health impacts;

���� (3) to the extent funds are
available, grants to operators of publicly owned treatment works for the
purposes of developing, expanding, or implementing pretreatment standards for
PFAS and education of users on sources of PFAS and proper management;

���� (4) to the extent funds are
available, grants to municipalities for the purposes of educating solid waste
disposal users on sources of PFAS and its proper management; and

���� (5) any other information and
efforts that are determined by the department to be beneficial in reducing the
presence and impact of PFAS in the State.

���� b.��� No later than two years
after the effective date of this act, and annually thereafter until 10 years
after the effective date of this act, the department
shall
submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the effectiveness of the program in reducing
PFAS discharges to air, water, and soil within the State, and educating
industrial and commercial users of PFAS and residents of the State on PFAS and
its proper management.

���� 13.� a.� The department shall
conduct PFAS-related research and comprehensive monitoring and testing of the
presence and impact of PFAS on the environmental media within the State,
including air, ground and surface water, biota, sediment, and soil.� The
purpose of the department�s research shall be to gain knowledge surrounding the
subject of PFAS, provide insight into the proper management and mitigation of
PFAS within the State, and to protect the environment from the adverse impacts
of PFAS.

���� b.��� The department�s
research shall include, at a minimum:

���� (1) the collection of soil
samples from throughout the State for monitoring and testing for PFAS;

���� (2) the collection of water
samples from throughout the State for monitoring and testing for PFAS;

���� (3) the collection of air
samples from throughout the State for monitoring and testing for PFAS;

���� (4) the collection of
biosolids from throughout the State for monitoring and testing for PFAS;

���� (5) the collection of fish,
plant, and animal samples from throughout the State for monitoring and testing
for PFAS;

���� (6) the comparison of PFAS
samples gathered across the State in an effort to measure levels of PFAS
contamination and also determine if there are any hotspots of PFAS
contamination in the State;

���� (7) research concerning the
impact of PFAS on the State�s air, water, and soil quality and ways to mitigate
the negative impacts of PFAS;

���� (8) data collection of
research findings and mitigation efforts concerning PFAS in other States and
countries; and

���� (9) any other data collection
and research that the department deems necessary to improve the current
foundation of knowledge on the subject of PFAS.

���� c.��� No later than two years
after the effective date of this act, and annually thereafter, the department
shall provide a report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section
2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), summarizing their research findings and
activities and providing recommendations for programs, policies, and
legislation to address the presence of PFAS in the State.

���� 14.� a.� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the department the sum of $5 million to implement the
provisions of this act.� The department shall utilize $2.5 million for the
purposes of carrying out the source reduction program pursuant to section 12 of
this act and $2.5 million for the purposes of conducting PFAS-related research,
monitoring, and testing pursuant to section 13 of this act.

���� b.� Each year after the date
of enactment of this act, the department shall submit as a part of its annual
budget, a request for sufficient funds to conduct the air, water, and soil
testing and PFAS-related research required pursuant section 13 of this act.

���� 15.� a.� Any proprietary
information or trade secrets included in any written notification, certification,
or any other record submitted to the department pursuant to this act shall not
be made available to the general public pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1
et seq.), commonly known as the open public records act.

���� b.� In order to identify the
proprietary information or trade secrets to be protected from public disclosure
pursuant to subsection a. of this section, a manufacturer shall file a trade
secret claim to the department, in a form and manner determined by the
department.� No later than 90 days after receipt of a trade secret claim, the
department shall make a determination on the validity of the trade secret
claim.� Upon making a determination on the validity of a trade secret claim,
the department shall inform the manufacturer of the determination by certified
mail.� If the department determines that the manufacturer's trade secret claim
is not valid, the manufacturer shall have 45 days from the receipt of the
department's determination to file with the department a written request for an
administrative hearing on the determination.� If the manufacturer does not file
such a request within 45 days, the department may take action to disclose the
information for which the trade secret claim was made, pursuant to the
provisions of this act.� If an manufacturer requests an administrative hearing
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, the department shall refer the
matter to the Office of Administrative Law, for a hearing thereon.� At the
hearing the manufacturer shall have the burden to show that the trade secret
claim is valid. Within 45 days of receipt of the administrative law judge's
recommendation, the department shall affirm, reject, or modify the
recommendation.� The department's action shall be considered the final agency
action for the purposes of the� "Administrative Procedure Act,"� P.L.
1968, c. 410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), and shall be subject only to judicial
review as provided in the Rules of Court.� The department shall inform the manufacturer
of its decision on the administrative law judge's recommendation by certified mail.

���� c.� The subject of any trade
secret claim pending or approved shall be treated as confidential information.�
The department shall not disclose any confidential information to any person
except an officer or employee of the State in connection with the official
duties of the officer or employee under any law for the protection of public
health or the environment.� Any officer or employee of the State who has access
to any confidential information, and who willingly and knowingly discloses the
confidential information to any person not authorized to receive it, shall be
guilty of a crime of the third degree.

���� d.� Any written notification
containing information for which a trade secret claim is pending or has been
approved may be made available to the public with that information concealed.

���� 16.
�
The department may, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968,
c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules or regulations necessary to implement
the provisions of this act.

���� 17.� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would prohibit the
sale of certain products containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), require greater transparency in the labeling
of cookware products containing PFAS, establish a source reduction program
concerning the proper management of PFAS, and appropriate money for
PFAS-related research.� As defined in the bill, �PFAS� means substances that
include any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at
least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.

���� Specifically, the bill would
prohibit, beginning two years after the bill�s effective date, the sale, offer
for sale, or distribution of cosmetics, carpets, fabric treatment, and food
packaging that contain intentionally added PFAS.� In addition, the bill would
require, beginning two years after the bill�s effective date, manufacturers of certain
cookware sold in the State that contains intentionally added PFAS in the handle
of the product or in any product surface that comes into contact with food,
foodstuffs, or beverages to list the presence of PFAS on the product label.�
Beginning two years after the bill�s effective date, the sale, offer for sale,
and distribution of cookware that contains PFAS would be prohibited unless the
cookware product and the manufacturer of the cookware has complied with the
bill�s cookware labeling requirements.� Under the bill, any cookware product
with a product label that lists the presence of PFAS pursuant to another state
or federal law would be deemed in compliance with the bill�s labeling
requirements.

���� The bill would also require
the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to recommend to the
Legislature consumer products, in addition to those prohibited from being sold,
offered for sale, or distributed pursuant to the bill, by category or use that
should not be sold, offered for sale, or distributed for sale in this State if
they contain intentionally added PFAS.� Under the bill, the DEP would have the
authority to audit or investigate a manufacturer of a product covered under the
bill to assess the manufacturer's compliance with bill�s provisions.� The bill
would provide that any proprietary information or trade secrets included in any
written notification, certification, or any other record submitted to the DEP
pursuant to the bill would be required to be kept confidential from the general
public pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), commonly known as the
open public records act.

���� The bill would require the DEP
to establish, no later than one year after the bill�s effective date, a source
reduction program to reduce the presence of PFAS in the State�s air, water, and
soil by encouraging the proper management of materials that contain PFAS and
the use of safer alternatives.� The program would be required to include
certain items enumerated in subsection a. of section 12 of the bill.� The bill
would also require the DEP to conduct PFAS-related research and comprehensive
monitoring and testing of the presence and impact of PFAS on the environmental
media within the State, including air, water, biota, sediment, and soil.� The
DEP�s research would be required to include certain items enumerated in
subsection b. of section 13 of the bill.� No later than two years after the
bill�s effective date, and annually thereafter, the DEP would be required to
submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature summarizing their research
findings and activities and providing recommendations for programs, policies,
and legislation to address the presence of PFAS in the State.

���� Finally, the bill would
appropriate $5 million to the DEP for the purposes of implementing the source
reduction program, conducting PFAS-related research, and monitoring and testing
environmental media, such as air, water, and soil, for PFAS pursuant to the
bill.