Senate committee advances PCB testing language for pre-1980 school buildings

Committee staff walked members through proposed changes to H.930 that would tie indoor air quality testing for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to school construction-aid applications and create a special fund to provide grants for investigation and remediation if money becomes available.

A presenter outlined that, for pre-1980 school buildings, a preliminary application for construction aid would require completed PCB air-quality testing conducted according to DEC standards. The amendment would move an existing 100% grant funding provision from session law into statute and establish a special fund for grants to cover investigation and remediation “to the extent that funds are available.”

Committee discussion clarified effective dates: the broader school construction application section was already set to take effect July 1, 2026, while the specific testing requirement in this amendment was explained to take effect on July 2, 2026. A senator moved the amendment; a voice vote registered multiple “Yes” responses.

The committee also discussed whether the measure might be referred to Appropriations because it creates a new special fund and references an underlying appropriation; staff said that the bill contains no immediate funding in its current draft but that the special fund would be the vehicle if money later appears.

The committee asked staff to prepare a clean copy of the amendment and to provide a summary of the change in effective dates for members before final drafting. The amendment passed the voice vote at the hearing, though a full roll-call tally was not recorded on the transcript.