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-1072896682Cleanlink News 1/19/2010
Wis. Lawmaker Defends Green Cleaning Bill
According to reports from The Journal Times, a Wis. lawmaker is catching heat for a bill he is ushering through the Legislature that mandates the use of "environmentally friendly" cleaning products and techniques in government buildings including schools.
Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, is getting flak from local Republicans, not about the details of his "green cleaning" bill, but because former lawmaker Jeff Neubauer of Racine helped write it. Mason's bill would set rules mandating the use of certain types of "green cleaning" products, the type of products Neubauer's company distributes.
"One of the greatest concerns we all have is how much influence lobbyists have on our legislators," said Bill Folk, chairman of the Racine County Republican Party. Folk said he is concerned about the appearance that Neubauer was working on a bill that could potentially benefit his company.
Mason said he asked Neubauer and other local industry leaders for help with the bill, but concerns about the bill and who helped draft it are unwarranted. At the end of the day, the bill is good public policy that will make public buildings healthier and cleaner and without giving any particular advantage to one company, Mason said.
"It's a bill that really does little more than ask school districts and municipalities to have a dialogue about the products they use and their impact on the environment," Mason said. "On that, it should rest on the merits of the bill and not the individuals who are supporting it."
Mason is now reworking parts of his "green cleaning" bill after members of an Assembly committee and other organizations questioned some parts. Unrelated to Neubauer's involvement with the bill, the amendments would give school districts more flexibility in switching to greener cleaning products and would allow districts to opt out if the switch proved to be more costly, Mason said.
An amended version of the bill could get a committee vote later this month.
Read this full article here.
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