Amendments
1990—[Pub. L. 101–637, § 14(a)(2)], made technical amendment to section catchline.
Subsecs. (a), (b). [Pub. L. 101–637, § 14(b)(1)], (2), inserted headings.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Short Title of 1990 Amendment
[Pub. L. 101–637, § 1], Nov. 28, 1990, [104 Stat. 4589], provided that: “This Act [enacting section 2656 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, amending this section, sections 4012 to 4022 of this title, and sections 2643, 2646, and 2647 of Title 15, enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and sections 2646 and 2656 of Title 15, and amending provisions set out as a note under this section] may be cited as the ‘Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Reauthorization Act of 1990’.”
Short Title
SPub. L. 98–377, title V, § 501, Aug. 11, 1984, [98 Stat. 1287], as amended by [Pub. L. 101–637, § 14(a)(1)], Nov. 28, 1990, [104 Stat. 4594], provided that: “This title [enacting this subchapter] may be cited as the ‘Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984’.”
Findings and Purposes
[Pub. L. 101–637, § 2], Nov. 28, 1990, [104 Stat. 4589], provided that:“(a)
Findings.—
Congress finds the following:
“(1)
The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that more than forty-four thousand school buildings contain friable asbestos, exposing more than fifteen million school children and one million five hundred thousand school employees to unwarranted health hazards.
“(2)
All elementary and secondary schools are required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act [of 1986, see Short Title of 1986 Amendment note set out under
section 2601 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade] to inspect for asbestos, develop an asbestos management plan, and implement such plan.
“(3)
The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated it will cost local education agencies more than $3,000,000,000 to comply with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act.
“(4)
Without a continuing program of information assistance, technical and scientific assistance, training, and financial support, many local educational agencies will be unable to carry out sufficient response actions to prevent the release of asbestos fibers into the air.
“(5)
Without the provisions of sufficient financial support, the cost to local educational agencies of implementing asbestos response actions may have an adverse impact in their educational mission.
“(6)
The effective regulation of interstate commerce for the protection of human health and the environment requires the continuation of programs to mitigate hazards of asbestos fibers and materials emitting such fibers.
“(b)
Purposes.—
The purposes of this Act [see Short Title of 1990 Amendment note above] are the following:
“(1)
To direct the Environmental Protection Agency to maintain a program to assist local schools in carrying out their responsibilities under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act.
“(2)
To provide continuing scientific and technical assistance to State and local agencies to enable them to identify and abate asbestos health hazards.
“(3)
To provide financial assistance to State and local agencies for training of persons involved with inspections and abatement of asbestos, for conducting necessary reinspections of school buildings, and for the actual abatement of asbestos threats to the health and safety of school children or employees.
“(4)
To assure that no employee of a local educational agency suffers any disciplinary action as a result of calling attention to potential asbestos hazards which may exist in schools.”