West Central Reporter

A new law will require government entities to notify residents when spraying pesticides near their homes, due to legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) that was recently signed into law.

“The goal here is to help families plan for when pesticides are applied near their home so they can take whatever precautions they feel are necessary, whether that means keeping kids inside or covering things like plants and pools,” said Senator McClure. “This is a way to keep government accountable to the citizens of our state.”

Senate Bill 3342, filed by McClure, requires that government applicators, or applicators who are contracted by the government, provide public notice before pesticides are applied on a public right-of-way inside the borders of a municipality. The public notice would also include contact information for the applicators. The new law does not apply to farmers, private individuals spraying their own property (including businesses), or applicators working on private property.

The new law originated from a constituent of Senator McClure’s who witnessed pesticides being sprayed in his neighborhood. According to the constituent, he saw overspray from the application hitting children playing, swimming pools, and the exterior of homes. He was particularly concerned when he was unable to find out what it was that was being sprayed.

“I’m happy that I contacted the Senator about this issue; he and his staff took action and got to work right away, found out what chemicals were being sprayed in my area and got this law passed,” said Ken Kingery, who brought the issue to Senator McClure’s attention.

SB2832 was signed into law on August 9th.