I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1909 
To prioritize educating and training for existing and new environmental 
health professionals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 5, 2017 
Mrs. LAWRENCE (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. EVANS, and Mr. COHEN) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction 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 Representa-
tives 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 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(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 environ-
mental health workforce. 
(3) According to the Association of State and 
Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Na-
tional Association of County and City Health Offi-
cials (NACCHO), more than 50,600 State and local 
environmental health workforce jobs have been lost 
since 2008. This represents approximately 22 per-
cent 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) Currently, only 28 States require a creden-
tial for environmental health workers that is an im-
partial, third-party endorsement of an individual’s 
professional knowledge and experience. 
(6) Educating and training existing and new 
environmental health professionals should be a na-
tional public health goal. 
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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 na-
tional 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 AS-
SISTANCE.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall provide to State, local, and tribal governments— 
(1) the model standards and guidelines devel-
oped under subsection (a); and 
(2) technical assistance in credentialing envi-
ronmental health workers. 
SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that programs and ac-
tivities (including education, training, and payment pro-
grams) of the Department of Health and Human Services 
for developing the environmental health workforce meet 
national needs, the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
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ices 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 stra-
tegic 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 Re-
sources 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 Sec-
retary 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 Com-
merce and Education and the Workforce of the House of 
Representatives, the plan developed under subsection (a). 
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SEC. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT 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 prac-
tices in 6 States (as described in subsection (b)) related 
to training and credentialing requirements for environ-
mental 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 con-
cerning— 
(1) types of environmental health workers em-
ployed 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 creden-
tial or registration each worker has received; 
(4) State requirements for continuing education 
for environmental health workers; 
(5) whether State, local, and city health depart-
ments and independent environmental health agen-
cies track continuing education units for their envi-
ronmental health workers; and 
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(6) how frequently any exam required to qualify 
environmental health workers is updated and re-
viewed 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 work-
ers (such as Maryland, Ohio, and Washington) and 3 
States that do not have such requirements (such as Indi-
ana, Michigan, 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 environ-
mental health worker (as defined in section 
7 of the Environmental Health Workforce 
Act of 2017) who is accredited, certified, 
or licensed in accordance with applicable 
law.’’. 
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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 envi-
ronmental agents in various environmental settings and 
develop, promote, and enforce guidelines, policies, and 
interventions to control such hazards. 
Æ 
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