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2009 Senate Bill 904: Revise "green schools" criteria

Public Act 301 of 2010

  1. Introduced by Sen. Valde Garcia (R) on October 15, 2009, to revise the criteria by which a school may be designated as a “green school” and establish new levels of “green-ness” for a school, including “emerald” and “evergreen.” The new criteria specify in more detail various types of recycling, and add doing energy audits of the homes of students, engaging in letter writing or lobbying campaigns on environmental issues, offering classes in energy or environmental issues, creating a student environmental organization and “eco reading” program, and much more. Some criteria of the current “green school” statute are not included, such as hosting a Sierra Club spokesperson, students dusting coils on cafeteria refrigerators and checking bus tire pressure, etc.
    • Referred to the Senate Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs Committee on October 15, 2009.
      • Reported in the Senate on December 8, 2009, with the recommendation that the bill pass.
  2. Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2009.
    Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

  3. Received in the House on December 10, 2009.
    • Referred to the House Great Lakes and Environment Committee on December 10, 2009.
      • Reported in the House on February 16, 2010, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
    • Amendment offered by Rep. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 2, 2010, to not give extra credit for recycling plastic water bottles, batteries and computer waste. The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on December 2, 2010.
  4. Passed 62 to 38 in the House on December 2, 2010, to revise the criteria by which a school may be designated as a “green school” and establish new levels of “green-ness,” including “emerald” and “evergreen.” The new criteria specify in more detail various types of recycling, and add doing energy audits of the homes of students, engaging in letter writing or lobbying campaigns on environmental issues, offering classes in energy or environmental issues, creating a student environmental organization and “eco reading” program, and much more. Some criteria of the current “green school” statute are not included, such as hosting a Sierra Club spokesperson, students dusting coils on cafeteria refrigerators and checking bus tire pressure, etc.
    Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

  5. Received in the Senate on December 2, 2010.
  6. Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate on December 2, 2010, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill.
    Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

  7. Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on December 16, 2010.

Comments

Re: 2009 Senate Bill 904 (Revise "green schools" criteria )  by Minnie on February 18, 2010 

Gosh, truckingal, what good will reading, writing and 'rithmetic do the kids if the oceans are rising, storms are getting more violent, the poles are melting, and the Polar bears are dying??  Once we have this climate thing under control, the kids (by then oldsters) can return to school and learn those basics.  Assuming the teachers who are then graduating have mastered any of those subjects.  By then McDonalds will be allowing their employees to take sabbaticals, I'm sure, so they'll have the time.


Especially encouraging is the fact that the kids, having been propagandized, are then instructed to lobby our government for... whatever.  Obama and ACORN could wish for no more than that.  Hopefully the kids will learn to actively protest, too, perhaps by watching video from the '60s showing mindless crowds destroying private property in the name of "peace."  Some of them can be trained to hang around outside polling places brandishing billy clubs in order to be sure that the voters vote "right."


Yes, we should definitely pour more dollars into our education system so that the kids can learn to accept a much less comfortable lifestyle than their [greedy, self-indulgent] parents enjoyed before the primacy of the collective became the law of the land.


And yes, I'm being facetious.  It would be very nice if teachers put as much energy into teaching kids to read as they do teaching them environmental correctness.  Maybe it's time to investigate what's being emphasized in our schools of education.


 



Re: 2009 Senate Bill 904 (Revise "green schools" criteria )  by gypsy on February 18, 2010 

rayuhl: You are a breath of fresh air in the mist of a dust storm. I agree with you and support this bill.



Re: 2009 Senate Bill 904 (Revise "green schools" criteria )  by johnhurd on February 18, 2010 

I wonder if the Senator will be as proud when the first kid  buys it while checking air in the tires on buses.....



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