Bill > H937

This bill establishes an ecologically based mosquito management program in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The key provisions are: - Creates a Mosquito Management Board within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to oversee and regulate all mosquito and vector-borne disease management activities in the state. The Board is responsible for developing a state ecologically based mosquito management plan, which prioritizes preventative and non-pesticide control measures. - Allows municipalities to form Mosquito Management Districts, each with its own Mosquito Management Council to implement the state's plan at the local level. Councils are responsible for surveillance, monitoring, source reduction, and limited use of larvicides and adulticides as a last resort. - Prohibits the aerial application of any larvicides or adulticides, and sets strict scientific thresholds and notification requirements for the limited ground-based application of these pesticides. - Bans the use of pesticides containing PFAS chemicals for mosquito control, and requires testing and certification that other pesticides are PFAS-free. - Establishes public education and outreach requirements to inform residents on mosquito-borne disease risks and ways to reduce mosquito breeding sites. - Provides a process for residents to file complaints about violations of the mosquito management plan, and for the state to enforce compliance. Overall, the bill aims to shift mosquito control in Massachusetts towards an ecologically-based approach focused on prevention, monitoring, and habitat restoration rather than widespread pesticide use.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H937