Chapter 279 of the Laws of 1996 established State pesticide sales and use recordkeeping and reporting requirements and created the Health Research Science Board that has a variety of pesticide-related responsibilities, including reviewing requests for access to location-specific pesticide information. Chapter 279 also required the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to prepare an annual report summarizing pesticide sales and use.

There have been various criticisms of pesticide sales and use reporting including: the absence of a pesticide reporting law annual report since 2005; difficulties of researchers in accessing location-specific pesticide information; and inaccurate data reporting. The proposed 2014-15 State Budget included significant revisions to pesticide sales and use reporting requirements, but the enacted State Budget did not contain any reporting revisions. The purpose of this hearing is to examine ways to improve the effectiveness of the State's existing pesticide reporting laws, including the public availability of pesticide data and the role of the Health Research Science Board.

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Oral testimony will be limited to ten minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

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Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Pesticide Sales and Use Reporting are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail, email or fax it to: