Senate committee backs reporting for alpha-gal, sets limits on backflow inspection rules

A Senate committee voted to report House Bill 2776 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass as amended, after adopting a committee amendment and hearing virtual testimony from a person who said she and family members have alpha‑gal syndrome.

The committee’s counsel said the bill would require the secretary of the Department of Health to propose legislative rules to add alpha‑gal syndrome to the list of diseases required to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Counsel also said the measure amends two sections of state code, inserts technical edits and resolves a code conflict with Senate Bill 269; it contains no fiscal note and would be effective in 90 days.

During discussion, counsel described new limits on how often the Department of Health may require inspections of backflow prevention assemblies: no more frequently than once every five years for “low hazard” systems and annually for “high hazard” systems. Counsel summarized the definitions included in the amendment: a high hazard situation is one in which failure of a backflow assembly would likely introduce disease organisms or harmful chemicals or substances into a public water system posing an unreasonable risk to health; a low hazard situation is one in which failure might lead to aesthetic or secondary effects on the public water supply.

The committee heard virtual testimony from Elizabeth Dean, who said she and her parents have alpha‑gal and described health impacts. “Alpha gal is a tick borne disease and it causes severe allergies to all red meat and all mammalian byproducts,” Dean said. She told the committee her father had been in an intensive care unit because of the disease and said many doctors and the public are unfamiliar with it. “It is a growing problem in The United States and we know much too little about it,” she said.

Committee members adopted the counsel‑explained committee amendment by voice vote. The vice chair moved that House Bill 2776 be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass as amended; the chair called the voice vote, declared the ayes had it and the motion was adopted.