0001|                       SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 52
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                             GLORIA HOWES
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
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0012|     ENCOURAGE THE USE OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC
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0013|     SCHOOLS.
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0014|     
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0015|          WHEREAS, children are especially vulnerable to the toxic
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0016|     effects of chemicals; and
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0017|          WHEREAS, children deserve environmentally safe schools
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0018|     that promote health and well-being; and
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0019|          WHEREAS, many pesticides are known to be neurotoxic and
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0020|     can adversely affect memory, attention, concentration and
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0021|     overall learning; and
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0022|          WHEREAS, the use of chemical pesticides can be
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0023|     significantly reduced by adopting integrated pest management
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0024|     policies that rely primarily on mechanical, physical, cultural
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0025|     and biological measures to control pests; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, integrated pest management programs encourage
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0002|     the avoidance of pesticides whenever possible and reserve the
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0003|     application of chemical pesticides for when other methods have
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0004|     failed; and 
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0005|          WHEREAS, integrated pest management is cost-effective and
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0006|     has been successfully implemented in public schools across the
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0007|     country, including schools in Texas, Maryland, Michigan,
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0008|     Oregon and California, and at the university of New Mexico;
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0009|     and
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0010|          WHEREAS, integrated pest management in schools is
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0011|     endorsed by the United States environmental protection agency,
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0012|     the national parent teacher association and the national
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0013|     education association; and
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0014|          WHEREAS, most New Mexico public schools do not practice
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0015|     integrated pest management; and
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0016|          WHEREAS, free guidelines for school integrated pest
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0017|     management are provided by the United States environmental
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0018|     protection agency in the publication "IPM for Schools:  A How-
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0019|     To Manual";
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0020|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0021|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state department of public
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0022|     education encourage the use of integrated pest management in
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0023|     New Mexico schools and encourage schools to notify parents and
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0024|     school occupants prior to the application of pesticides
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0025|     whenever possible and to make applications when the premises
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0001|     are unoccupied; and
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0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state department of
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0003|     public education report its integrated pest management
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0004|     promotional activities to the legislative education study
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0005|     committee by December 1, 1998; and
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0006|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0007|     transmitted to the superintendent of public instruction and
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0008|     the director of the legislative education study committee for
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0009|     appropriate distribution.
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0010|                                       
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