Bill
AB 635
DNR must notify county and tribal health and land/conservation departments within 7 business days when groundwater or PFAS exceedances are identified, plus adjacent counties likely
Purpose
- Require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to notify local and tribal health and land/conservation agencies when DNR determines there has been an exceedance of groundwater protection standards or any PFAS standard in a DNR proposed or promulgated rule. The intent is to ensure timely local and tribal awareness so they can evaluate, respond to, and plan for potential public‑health or land‑use impacts.
Key provisions
- New statute (created as 283.90) requires DNR to notify all of the following in the affected county:
- county health department,
- tribal health department, and
- county land and conservation department.
- DNR must also notify those same offices in any adjacent county that DNR determines may be negatively affected by the exceedance.
- Trigger: an exceedance of groundwater protection standards under ch. 160 or of any PFAS standard (PFAS defined by s. 299.48(1)(b)), where the exceedance is identified in a proposed or promulgated DNR rule.
- Timing: DNR must provide the required notice within 7 business days after verifying that an exceedance has occurred.
- DNR must create and maintain a notification system for these notices.
- Notices are public records subject to inspection and copying under s. 19.35(1).
- DNR may establish procedures to implement the notice requirement.
- Effective date: the bill takes effect on the first day of the seventh month after publication.
Who is affected
- State agency: DNR (new notification responsibilities and systems).
- Local and tribal agencies: county health departments, tribal health departments, and county land/conservation departments in affected and potentially affected adjacent counties (receive notice, may need to act).
- Indirectly: residents and landowners in affected areas, who may receive faster local attention, monitoring, or remediation planning; potential administrative/fiscal effects for DNR and local/tribal agencies.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Improved local/tribal situational awareness and faster coordination on monitoring, public health advisories, land‑use decisions, and remediation planning.
- Administrative and implementation costs for DNR to verify exceedances, create/maintain the notification system, and for local/tribal agencies to respond; a state fiscal estimate is referenced.
- Increased transparency (notices are public records) which may prompt earlier public communication or regulatory actions.
Legislative status & sponsors (selected)
- Introduced in the Assembly; primary sponsors include Representatives Billings, Novak, Anderson, Arney, Bare, Behnke, Clancy and many others. Cosponsored by Senators James, Jacque, and Wanggaard. Senator Larson has been added as a cosponsor.
- The bill text creates s. 283.90 and was referred to committee for consideration; a fiscal estimate is to be appended to the bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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