Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out certain activities related to the environmental-health workforce. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on state-based practices for training and credentialing environmental-health workers.
Specifically, HHS must develop model standards and guidelines for credentialing environmental-health workers and a plan to ensure its programs and activities meet the future needs of the environmental-health workforce.
The bill also specifies that environmental-health workers are eligible for public-service loan forgiveness.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2661 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2661
To prioritize educating and training for existing and new environmental
health professionals.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 19, 2021
Mrs. Lawrence (for herself, Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Cohen) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prioritize educating and training for existing and new environmental
health professionals.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Environmental Health Workforce Act
of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) The environmental health workforce is vital to
protecting the health and safety of the public.
(2) For years, State and local governmental public health
agencies have reported substantial workforce losses and other
challenges to the environmental health workforce.
(3) According to the Association of State and Territorial
Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County
and City Health Officials (NACCHO), more than 50,600 State and
local environmental health workforce jobs have been lost since
2008. This represents approximately 22 percent of the total
State and local environmental health workforce.
(4) In the coming years, the retiring Baby Boomer
Generation will lead to a further decrease in the environmental
health workforce.
(5) According to the National Environmental Health
Association, more than 67 percent of Tribal environmental
health programs, 64 percent of State environmental health
programs, and 60 percent of local environmental health programs
report insufficient staffing capacity to respond to new issues
presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry workers also
reported insufficient access to training and high levels of
burnout.
(6) Currently, only 27 States require a credential for
environmental health workers that is an impartial, third-party
endorsement of an individual's professional knowledge and
experience.
(7) Educating and training existing and new environmental
health professionals should be a national public health goal.
SEC. 3. MODEL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR CREDENTIALING ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH WORKERS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
coordination with appropriate national professional organizations,
Federal, State, local, and tribal governmental agencies, and private-
sector and nongovernmental entities, shall develop model standards and
guidelines for credentialing environmental health workers.
(b) Provision of Standards and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary
of Health and Human Services shall provide to State, local, and tribal
governments--
(1) the model standards and guidelines developed under
subsection (a); and
(2) technical assistance in credentialing environmental
health workers.
SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--To ensure that programs and activities (including
education, training, and payment programs) of the Department of Health
and Human Services for developing the environmental health workforce
meet national needs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan for such programs and
activities that--
(1) includes performance measures to more clearly determine
the extent to which these programs and activities are meeting
the Department's strategic goal of strengthening the
environmental health workforce;
(2) identifies and communicates to stakeholders any gaps
between existing programs and activities and future
environmental health workforce needs identified in workforce
projections of the Health Resources and Services
Administration;
(3) identifies actions needed to address such identified
gaps; and
(4) identifies any additional statutory authority that is
needed by the Department to implement such identified actions.
(b) Submission to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate, and to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and
Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, the plan developed
under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall examine
and identify best practices in 6 States (as described in subsection
(b)) related to training and credentialing requirements for
environmental health workers and submit to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that
includes information concerning--
(1) types of environmental health workers employed at
State, local, and city health departments and independent
environmental health agencies;
(2) educational backgrounds of environmental health
workers;
(3) whether environmental health workers are credentialed
or registered, and what type of credential or registration each
worker has received;
(4) State requirements for continuing education for
environmental health workers;
(5) whether State, local, and city health departments and
independent environmental health agencies track continuing
education units for their environmental health workers; and
(6) how frequently any exam required to qualify
environmental health workers is updated and reviewed to ensure
that the exam is consistent with current law.
(b) Selection of States.--The report described in subsection (a)
shall be based upon the examination of such best practices with respect
to 3 States that have credentialing requirements for environmental
health workers (such as Maryland, Ohio, and Washington) and 3 States
that do not have such requirements (such as Indiana, Iowa, and
Pennsylvania).
SEC. 6. PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS.
Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1087e(m)) is amended in paragraph (3)(B)--
(1) in clause (i), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) a full-time job as an environmental
health worker (as defined in section 7 of the
Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2021) who
is accredited, certified, or licensed in
accordance with applicable law.''.
SEC. 7. DEFINITION.
In this Act, the terms ``environmental health worker'' and
``environmental health workforce'' refer to public health workers who
investigate and assess hazardous environmental agents in various
environmental settings and develop, promote, and enforce guidelines,
policies, and interventions to control such hazards.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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