04/28/2003 09:04 AM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 59(FIN) am                                                                                           
     "An Act relating to the evaluation and cleanup of sites where                                                              
     certain controlled substances may have been manufactured or                                                                
     stored; and providing for an effective date."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This  was the first  hearing  for this  bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken  explained that this bill addresses  basic standards                                                            
and requirements  for the  clean up of  methamphetamine (meth)  labs                                                            
and  specifies that  property  owners must  be responsible  for  the                                                            
cleanup  and that,  until  the cleanup  is completed,  the  property                                                            
could not be transferred, leased, or sold.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
JOS GOVAARS,  Staff to Representative  Jim Holm, affirmed  that this                                                            
legislation establishes  standards for the clean up  of illegal drug                                                            
sites. He shared  that during the  past several years, more  than 90                                                            
drug sites  have been discovered in  such places as cabins,  trucks,                                                            
apartments, and  mobile homes. He stated that the  chemicals used in                                                            
the illegal  drug process have been  linked to cancer and  present a                                                            
health risk to  future inhabitants of the premises.  He communicated                                                            
that the Department  of Environmental Conservation  would notify the                                                            
property  owner  as to  the  proper testing,  sampling  and  cleanup                                                            
procedures for a site.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
AT EASE 10:05 AM / 10:06 AM                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
AMENDMENT  #1: This amendment  deletes "of  the entryway"  following                                                            
the word "posting" on page 3, line 10.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Additionally,  the amendment inserts  new language into the  bill on                                                            
page 3, line 13,  following the word "property." The  language being                                                            
inserted, reads as follows.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     For purposes of posting of the notice to the occupants and                                                                 
     users of the property required by this subsection, the posting                                                             
     shall be made, for property that is                                                                                        
          (1) a single family dwelling, at the main entryway                                                                    
     of the property; and                                                                                                       
          (2) other than a single family dwelling and for hotel,                                                                
     motel, public inn, or similar place of public accommodation                                                                
     that provides lodging, at the door of the unit that is the                                                                 
     site that constitutes the illegal drug manufacturing site.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Taylor moved  for adoption  of Amendment  #1. He  explained                                                            
that the bill's sponsors  support this amendment. He stated that the                                                            
amendment  modifies  the  bill to  specify  that,  were a  meth  lab                                                            
discovered  in a multi-unit building,  only the affected  unit would                                                            
be quarantined or noticed for cleanup purposes.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Amendment #1 was ADOPTED.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-chair Wilken ordered the bill HELD in Committee.