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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 20, 2017 02:13 PM |
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| From: | Representative Perry S. Warren |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Water Bottle Filling Stations |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would require newly constructed state-owned government buildings to install water bottle filling stations. Additionally, the legislation would require water bottle filling stations to be retrofitted in all state-owned buildings that undergo major renovations to their water and pipe infrastructure. Water bottle filling stations are similar to water fountains except that they include a vertical nozzle above the basin where an individual can fill any type of container with water. The goal of this legislation is to reduce the use of bottled water and encourage the use of more environmentally friendly reusable water containers by employees and visitors of state government buildings. Many plastic bottles use a chemical called Bisphenol A, which has been proven to cause health problems in pregnant women, young children, and others. The longer water bottles sit on a shelf and/or are exposed to light, the greater the chances these chemicals contaminate the water they are storing. Additionally, plastic bottles wreak havoc on our environment. Eighty percent of plastic bottles do not get recycled. They typically end up on our streets or in landfills where their chemicals leech into the ground. Worst of all, they often times end up in the ocean, killing our marine life. It is estimated that over 46,000 pieces of plastic are currently floating in every square mile of the ocean. I believe it is important to find an alternative to our heavy use of plastic bottles. My legislation proposes that alternative. Water bottle filling stations are being used around the country in gyms, aquariums, college campuses, and high schools. They provide safe drinking water for everyone. Best of all, they do so without requiring the use of disposable plastic bottles. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
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Introduced as HB1998