A hearing on CT HB 7003 was held on February 7, 2019 in the Connecticut House of Representatives Committee on Children. Through ISRI’s state legislative program, ISRI worked with members and other stakeholders to provide testimony against the bill.
ISRI Scrap Tire Processors Chapter President Art Dodge eCore testified against the bill and ISRI member Liberty Tire Recycling submitted testimony. Members and allied stakeholders all testified that there is no scientific study that conclusively finds crumb rubber is a risk to human health. In addition to member companies testifying against the bill, testimony from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) came out against the bill. CABE testified that due to the heavy use school playgrounds receive, crumb rubber is an option many school districts turn to and removing the option of using crumb rubber would negatively impact their decision making and budgetary processes. Additionally, other associations such as the Connecticut Recreation & Parks Association provided testimony that stated “CRPA commends the Committee for their efforts to ensure the safety of Connecticut’s children but cannot support legislation that is not in line with science, education, and research and that would limit our ability to provide accessible playgrounds.” The testimony from members and non-members alike provided many powerful arguments for the Committee to hold the bill.
SPAN