AUGUSTA — A Maine legislator wants the state to be more transparent about what pesticides are used on school grounds.
Democratic Sen. Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick said Thursday that her proposal would require schools to submit pest management logs to state authorities, and post inspection results publicly. She said she became aware of the issue when she was in high school and pesticides were inappropriately sprayed on a windy day.
Daughtry said the bill is “seeking to build on work that’s already been done over the years to improve families’ and the public’s awareness of what pesticides are being used at local schools.”
The proposal was subject to a public hearing on Thursday in which Kathy Murray, a state integrated pest management entomologist, testified in support. Murray said the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry “supports making these records more easily accessible to the general public.”
The proposal will face more action in a state legislative committee.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.