FAIRFAX, Va. — An issue the pest management industry continues to track closely is school pest management legislation. For the last five sessions Congress has considered school pest management legislation titled the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA).
NPMA Manager of Government Affairs Gene Harrington said that Congress most likely will not act on the current version of SEPA but that the industry is bracing for the issue to be taken up next year.
“Between the economic chaos, health care reform and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress has a pretty full plate, but we think there is a very good chance that major legislation will be introduced next year.”
Throughout the years, NPMA has provided its input regarding what it believes is sensible school IPM, and 2001 NPMA was part of a broad coalition of environmental, public interest and education groups that urged Congress to include the SEPA in the final version of H.R. 1, the Better Education for All Students and Teachers Act (which ultimately did not pass).
The problem facing the industry is that the current SEPA version is onerous and bureaucratic, NPMA believes. “We are anticipating a big debate on this issue, so we have been meeting with members of Congress and their staff in advance of this debate, to encourage them to support a more workable piece of school pest management legislation,” Harrington said.
For example, Harrington said, “a number of states already have adopted school pest management programs that are effective and not overreaching.”