A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to study (1) ways to protect children from the health impacts of toxic chemicals found in children's products and (2) a process for the division of public health in the department of health and human services in consultation with the department of environment and natural resources to identify and designate chemicals of high concern and priority chemicals.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Creation. – There is created the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Children's Health and Toxic Chemicals. The Committee shall consist of 10 members to be appointed as follows:
(1)	Five members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(2)	Five members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
SECTION 1.(b)  Cochairs; Vacancies. – The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate one representative to serve as cochair, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall designate one senator to serve as cochair. Vacancies on the Committee shall be filled by the same appointing authority making the initial appointment.
SECTION 1.(c)  Powers. – The Committee, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4. The Committee may meet at any time upon the joint call of the cochairs. The Committee may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building.
SECTION 1.(d)  Staffing. – The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign professional staff to assist the Committee in its work. The Directors of Legislative Assistants of the Senate and of the House of Representatives shall assign clerical staff to the Committee, and the expenses relating to the clerical employees shall be borne by the Committee. Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses at the rates set forth in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate.
SECTION 2.(a)  Study. – The Joint Legislative Study Committee on Children's Health and Toxic Chemicals shall study ways to protect children from the health impacts of toxic chemicals found in children's products. In the conduct of its study, the Committee shall examine existing State laws regarding children's exposure to toxic chemicals, federal legislation, and legislation enacted in other states that prevent children's exposure to toxic chemicals. Specifically, the Committee shall study:
(1)	Strategies for the Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to designate chemicals of high concern. For purposes of this act, chemicals of high concern are chemicals that a federal, state, or international agency considers to be:
a.	Suspected of causing cancer.
b.	A reproductive or developmental toxicant.
c.	Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, or very persistent and very bioaccumulative.
(2)	Strategies for the Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to designate priority chemicals from within the list of chemicals of high concern. For purposes of this act, priority chemicals are those chemicals that have been:
a.	Found to be present in the human body in biomonitoring studies.
b.	Found to be present in household dust, indoor air, drinking water, or elsewhere in the home environment.
c.	Identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a "High Production Volume" chemical.
d.	Found to be present in fish, wildlife, or the natural environment in monitoring studies.
(3)	Methods by which a manufacturer of children's products may provide notice when the manufacturer's product contains a chemical on the list of priority chemicals.
(4)	The development of alternatives assessments prepared by manufacturers of children's products that identify alternatives that reduce or eliminate the use of and potential for children's exposure to chemicals of high concern from those products.
SECTION 2.(b)  Report. – The Committee shall submit an interim report to the 2013 General Assembly when it reconvenes in 2014. The Committee shall submit a final report, including findings and legislative recommendations, to the 2015 General Assembly. The Committee shall terminate upon filing its final report.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.