Healthy and environmentally sensitive cleaning in certain buildings, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority

The products include restroom cleaners, general purpose cleaners, hand soap, toilet paper and paper towels, vacuum cleaners, and carpet extractors. The initial requirements for using approved products take effect one year after the bill is enacted. DHS may later modify the requirements for approvals for those products.

The bill authorizes DHS to adopt, by rule, an approval requirement for an additional type of product for janitorial or sanitation use if EPA, Green Seal, Inc., or TerraChoice Environmental Marketing (which operates the EcoLogo program) approves the type of product. DHS may require approval by a group other than one of the specified groups, if DHS determines that the other group bases its approval on a standard that is practical and promotes healthy and environmentally sensitive cleaning.

The bill also requires DHS to include in its initial rules the requirement to use a cleaning system approved by the Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI), a private nonprofit group, under its Children and Schools standard for any cleaning use for which the GEI has approved a cleaning system. A cleaning system consists of specific cleaning products, materials for applying the cleaning products, equipment, and instructions for a specified cleaning use that a manufacturer submits to GEI for certification. The requirement to use an approved cleaning system takes effect two years after the bill is enacted, except that for buildings owned by this state, other than buildings on a University of Wisconsin campus, and for buildings owned by a political subdivision the requirement takes effect three years after the bill is enacted.

The bill authorizes DHS to require approval of cleaning systems by a different group than GEI or to authorize the use of a cleaning system approved by either GEI or another specified group if the department determines that the other group's standard is practical and addresses other health or environmental concerns in addition to indoor air quality. Under the bill, the requirement to use an approved cleaning system overrides the requirement to use a type of cleaning product approved by a specified group if there is an approved cleaning system that includes the type of cleaning product.