Requires new flooring for schools, community centers, and child care centers to be certified mercury-free.**

This bill requires new flooring installed in schools (K-12) and licensed childcare centers to be certified as mercury-free by the manufacturer before a construction permit can be issued. For renovations involving existing flooring, applicants must either provide certification that current flooring is mercury-free (pending health department rules) or confirm it will be removed before new flooring is installed. Manufacturers falsely claiming mercury-free flooring face civil penalties of $10,000 for a first offense and $25,000 for repeat violations. The bill directly affects construction projects in these facilities and establishes a process for health department certification of mercury-free flooring.