Bill
S 351
Creates a multi-agency task force to assess and recommend improvements for indoor air quality in MA public schools, including CO/CO2 monitoring, ventilation, and costs.
Status: Introduced in the Massachusetts Senate (filed 1/14/2025; read twice and referred to committee 1/30/2025). Passed the Senate without amendment by voice vote 11/20/2025; received in the House. Current statutory report deadline in the bill: October 1, 2026.
Sponsor / Petitioners: Ryan C. Fattman (primary petitioner) with Patrick M. O’Connor and Bruce E. Tarr (petitioners). (Text identifies the measure as filed in the 194th General Court, 2025–2026.)
Purpose and intent
- Establish a multi‑agency task force to review and investigate indoor air quality (IAQ) in Massachusetts public school buildings (K–12).
- Produce findings, recommendations and any proposed legislation to ensure adequate IAQ and to identify feasible, costed solutions.
Key provisions
- Creation of an Interagency Task Force on Indoor Air Quality in Public Schools:
- Composition: 17 members (or their designees). Co‑chairs: the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Commissioner of Public Health. Other members include the executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, director of the Department of Labor Standards, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, the State Fire Marshal; legislative appointees (one each by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, and one each by the President and Minority Leader of the Senate); one governor‑appointed expert in environmental health/indoor air quality; and representatives appointed by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Teachers Association, AFT Massachusetts, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, and Massachusetts School Nurses Organization.
Scope of investigation (enumerated items):
Reporting requirement: The task force must file a report of findings, analysis, recommendations, and any proposed legislation with the clerks of the Senate and House and the chairs of the Joint Committee on Education by October 1, 2026.
Who is affected
- Massachusetts public school districts (K–12), students, teachers, school nurses and staff.
- Local school committees and superintendents who may need to implement monitoring, upgrades to ventilation/filtration, and CO/CO2 detection improvements.
- State agencies named to the task force (education, public health, school building authority, environmental protection, labor standards, state fire marshal).
Potential impacts
- Short term: Consolidated assessment of current IAQ practices, gaps in CO/CO2 detection, ventilation and filtration capacity, and evaluation of prior grants.
- Medium/long term: Could lead to recommended statewide standards or requirements for CO/CO2 monitoring, ventilation and filtration improvements, temperature/humidity limits, and funding needs — with associated capital and operating cost implications for districts and the Commonwealth.
- Public health benefits: Potential reductions in IAQ‑related illness/absenteeism and improved learning environments if recommendations are implemented.
- Fiscal considerations: The bill requires the task force to estimate implementation costs (including labor), which could inform future budget or grant proposals.
Timeline and next steps
- Task force report due October 1, 2026.
- As of the most recent actions, the bill passed the Senate (11/20/2025) and was received in the House; further House committee consideration and any implementing legislation would follow the task force’s report and recommendations.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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