SENATE BILL No. 1407

 

 

June 29, 2010, Introduced by Senators NOFS and ALLEN and referred to the Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform.

 

 

 

      A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled

 

"Public health code,"

 

by amending sections 16347, 18401, 18411, 18413, and 18421 (MCL

 

333.16347, 333.18401, 333.18411, 333.18413, and 333.18421),

 

section 16347 as added by 1993 PA 79, sections 18401, 18413, and

 

18421 as amended by 2004 PA 308, and section 18411 as amended by

 

2006 PA 408, and by adding sections 18423, 18425, and 18427.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 16347. Fees for a person registered licensed or seeking

 

 2  registration licensure as a registered sanitarian under part 184

 

 3  are as follows:

 

 

4
     (a) Application processing fee..................  $  20.00
5
     (b) Registration License fee, per year..........     50.00
6
     (c) Limited registration license, per year......     10.00

1
     (d) Temporary registration license..............     15.00

 

 

 2        Sec. 18401. (1) As used in this part:

 

 3        (a) "Board" means the Michigan board of sanitarians created

 

 4  in section 18421.

 

 5        (b) (a) "Environmental health" means an area of activity

 

 6  dealing with the protection of human health through the

 

 7  management, control, and prevention of environmental factors that

 

 8  may adversely affect the health of individuals. Environmental

 

 9  health is concerned with the existence of substances, conditions,

 

10  or facilities in quantities, of characteristics, and under

 

11  conditions, circumstances, or duration that are or can be

 

12  injurious to human health a scientific discipline that addresses

 

13  the interrelationships between humans and their natural or

 

14  manmade environment that may adversely impact human health or the

 

15  ecological balances essential to long-term human health and

 

16  environmental quality.

 

17        (b) "Registered sanitarian" means a sanitarian registered in

 

18  accordance with this article.

 

19        (c) "Practice of environmental health" means the

 

20  determination of environmental health risk, including, but not

 

21  limited to, the existence of substances or conditions that are or

 

22  can be injurious to human health, through the performance of

 

23  investigations, inspections, monitoring, consulting, or

 

24  education; and the determination of actions to control, mitigate,

 

25  or prevent adverse impact on human health by applying

 

26  regulations, advising, designing, testing, or using any other

 


 1  means to control, mitigate, or prevent adverse impact on human

 

 2  health. The practice of environmental health includes the

 

 3  previous activities performed or offered to be performed by

 

 4  individuals serving in either of the following capacities, or

 

 5  both:

 

 6        (i) The enforcement of the environmental health provisions of

 

 7  this act or any other state or local environmental health law,

 

 8  rule, ordinance, or regulation.

 

 9        (ii) The performance of environmental health work in 3 or

 

10  more of the following areas:

 

11        (A) Environmental epidemiology.

 

12        (B) Food protection.

 

13        (C) Wastewater.

 

14        (D) Solid and hazardous waste.

 

15        (E) Potable water.

 

16        (F) Institutions and licensed establishments.

 

17        (G) Vectors, pests, and poisonous plants.

 

18        (H) Swimming pools and recreational facilities.

 

19        (I) Housing.

 

20        (J) Hazardous materials.

 

21        (K) Radiation protection.

 

22        (L) Occupational safety and health.

 

23        (M) Air quality and noise.

 

24        (N) Disaster sanitation and emergency planning.

 

25        (d) (c) "Sanitarian" means an individual who has specialized

 

26  education and experience in the physical, biological, and

 

27  sanitary sciences as applied to the educational, investigational,

 


 1  and technical duties and who is required to be licensed under

 

 2  this article to engage in the field practice of environmental

 

 3  health.

 

 4        (2) In addition to the definitions in this part, article 1

 

 5  contains general definitions and principles of construction

 

 6  applicable to all articles in this code and part 161 contains

 

 7  definitions applicable to this part.

 

 8        Sec. 18411. A Except as otherwise provided in this part, a

 

 9  person shall not use the titles "sanitarian", "registered

 

10  sanitarian", "r.s.", "licensed sanitarian", "l.s.",

 

11  "environmental health specialist", "registered environmental

 

12  health specialist", "environmental health officer",

 

13  "environmental health professional", or similar words which or

 

14  letters that indicate or imply that he , or she , or it is a

 

15  registered sanitarian unless the person he or she is registered

 

16  licensed under this article. An individual who was registered

 

17  under this part or who held the credential of registered

 

18  environmental health specialist or registered sanitarian from the

 

19  national environmental health association on the day before the

 

20  effective date of section 18423 may continue to engage in the

 

21  practice of environmental health without a license under this

 

22  part for a period not to exceed 2 years from the effective date

 

23  of section 18423. An individual who was not registered under this

 

24  part and who performed activities within the practice of

 

25  environmental health on the day before the effective date of

 

26  section 18423 may continue to engage in the practice of

 

27  environmental health without a license under this part for a

 


 1  period not to exceed 6 months from the effective date of section

 

 2  18423.

 

 3        Sec. 18413. (1) A registered sanitarian shall not engage in

 

 4  or have an interest in any work, project, or operation

 

 5  prejudicial to his or her professional interest and shall not

 

 6  engage in the practice of professional engineering as defined in

 

 7  section 2001 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2001,

 

 8  unless the activity is consistent with that as defined in section

 

 9  18401(c) the practice of environmental health.

 

10        (2) The standards of the national environmental health

 

11  association as they exist on the effective date of the amendatory

 

12  act that added this subsection section 18423 relative to

 

13  qualifications, education, and examinations are adopted by

 

14  reference. The department board shall accept the certification by

 

15  successful completion of the national environmental health

 

16  association of the successful completion of any education or

 

17  association's examination for the credential of registered

 

18  environmental health specialist/registered sanitarian (REHS/RS)

 

19  for purposes of registration licensure under this part.

 

20        (3) Notwithstanding section 16148, the The department, in

 

21  consultation with the board, may by rule adopt any other or

 

22  additional appropriate standards and may adopt any updates or

 

23  amendments to the national environmental health association

 

24  standards adopted under subsection (2).

 

25        Sec. 18421. (1) There The Michigan board of sanitarians is

 

26  created a 7-member advisory committee whose purpose is to make

 

27  recommendations to in the department. relative to The board shall

 


 1  establish qualifications for registration licensure,

 

 2  establishment of establish education and training standards, and

 

 3  actions take action regarding disciplinary proceedings. The board

 

 4  shall consist of 7 members shall be appointed by the governor for

 

 5  a term of 3 years.

 

 6        (2) The membership on the committee board is as follows:

 

 7        (a) Four members who are registered sanitarians.

 

 8        (b) One member who represents the Michigan restaurant

 

 9  association or its successor organization holds a license as a

 

10  food service establishment under the food law of 2000, 2000 PA

 

11  92, MCL 289.1101 to 289.8111.

 

12        (c) One member who represents the Michigan groundwater

 

13  association or its successor organization is registered with the

 

14  department of natural resources and environment as a water well

 

15  driller.

 

16        (d) One member who represents the Michigan onsite wastewater

 

17  recycling association or its successor organization holds a

 

18  license as a health professional under article 15.

 

19        (3) Of the initial members who are registered sanitarians

 

20  under subsection (2)(a), 1 member shall be appointed for a term

 

21  of 1 year, 1 member shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, and

 

22  2 members shall be appointed for terms of 3 years.

 

23        Sec. 18423. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this part,

 

24  an individual shall not engage in the practice of environmental

 

25  health unless he or she is licensed as a sanitarian under this

 

26  part.

 

27        (2) Subsection (1) does not prevent any of the following:

 


 1        (a) An individual who is licensed under any other part or

 

 2  act from performing activities that are considered to be within

 

 3  the practice of environmental health if those activities are

 

 4  within the scope of practice of the license held by the

 

 5  individual and if the individual does not use the titles

 

 6  protected under section 18411.

 

 7        (b) An individual who is not a licensed sanitarian under

 

 8  this part from performing sampling, testing, controlling of

 

 9  vectors, reporting of observations, or other duties that do not

 

10  require application of specialized knowledge and skills in

 

11  environmental health if the unlicensed individual is under the

 

12  supervision of a sanitarian licensed under this part and if the

 

13  individual does not use the titles protected under section 18411.

 

14        (c) An individual who is not a licensed sanitarian under

 

15  this part from performing administrative public health duties

 

16  that do not require application of specialized knowledge and

 

17  skills in environmental health.

 

18        Sec. 18425. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection

 

19  (2) or (3), an individual applying for licensure under this part

 

20  shall provide evidence of the successful completion of the

 

21  national environmental health association's examination for the

 

22  credential of registered environmental health

 

23  specialist/registered sanitarian (REHS/RS), or successful

 

24  completion of a successor examination as determined by the board.

 

25        (2) On or before the expiration of 2 years after the

 

26  effective date of this section and upon application by an

 

27  individual who intends to continue to engage in the practice of

 


 1  environmental health, the board shall issue a license under this

 

 2  part to an individual who meets any of the following

 

 3  qualifications:

 

 4        (a) The individual was a registered sanitarian under this

 

 5  part on the day before the effective date of this section.

 

 6        (b) On the day before the effective date of this section the

 

 7  individual held and he or she continues to hold the credential of

 

 8  registered environmental health specialist/registered sanitarian

 

 9  (REHS/RS) from the national environmental health association. An

 

10  individual applying for licensure under this subdivision shall

 

11  provide evidence of the credential to the board.

 

12        (3) On or before the expiration of 6 months after the

 

13  effective date of this section and upon application by an

 

14  individual who intends to continue to engage in the practice of

 

15  environmental health, the board shall issue a license under this

 

16  part to an individual who was not a registered sanitarian under

 

17  this part on the day before the effective date of this section

 

18  and who performed activities within the practice of environmental

 

19  health on the day before the effective date of this section. An

 

20  individual applying for licensure under this subsection shall

 

21  provide evidence of his or her activities before the effective

 

22  date of this section as required by the board.

 

23        (4) A sanitarian shall demonstrate the successful completion

 

24  of a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years in

 

25  accordance with national environmental health association

 

26  criteria or successor criteria as determined by the board.

 

27        (5) The board may issue a temporary license under this part

 


 1  as determined appropriate by the board.

 

 2        Sec. 18427. (1) The board may issue a limited license as a

 

 3  sanitarian to an applicant who does not meet the requirements of

 

 4  section 18425, if the applicant meets any of the following

 

 5  requirements:

 

 6        (a) The individual has received a bachelor's or graduate

 

 7  degree in environmental health from a university accredited by

 

 8  the national environmental health science and protection

 

 9  accreditation council.

 

10        (b) The individual has successfully completed the

 

11  requirements for a bachelor's degree that include all of the

 

12  following:

 

13        (i) An algebra or higher math level course.

 

14        (ii) Thirty semester hours or 45 quarter hours in basic

 

15  sciences.

 

16        (2) The holder of a limited license issued under this

 

17  section may apply for a renewal of the limited license, but an

 

18  individual may not hold a limited license for more than a total

 

19  of 5 years.