New York Gov. George Pataki (R) yesterday signed into law the nation’s most stringent bill on notification of pesticide spraying. The law requires schools and day care facilities to give 48 hours notice to parents and staff before pesticides are applied on school grounds. It also gives county governments the option of requiring commercial pesticide users and homeowners to notify nearby residents about pesticide spraying. “Every neighbor will now know to take in the wash, close the windows, and not have the kids roll around in the yard,” Pataki said as he signed the measure in the yard of an elementary school. “I hope that this bill will set the standard for states throughout the country,” said State Sen. Carl Marcellino (R), a cosponsor of the bill.
