Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves study language on whether [redacted] is a public health hazard; resolution moves forward
Summary
Lawmakers approved an amendment sending Senate Concurrent Resolution 4017 to legislative management for study on whether a specified condition is a public health hazard. The committee also voted to recommend the resolution for passage and placed it on the consent calendar.
Bismarck — The House Education Committee approved an amendment to Senate Concurrent Resolution 4017 to direct legislative management to study whether a specified condition should be treated as a public health hazard, and then voted to recommend the resolution for a due pass and to place it on the consent calendar.
Representative Schreiberbeck, who offered the amendment, said the intent was to acknowledge a problem and direct the study rather than issue a binding public-health designation. “We all know [the condition] is an issue,” Schreiberbeck said, but she told colleagues the wording should not be read as a medical determination; she noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — not the state legislature — declares public health hazards.
Representative Marshall and other lawmakers voiced support for studying the matter to gather professional input about education, prevention, research and policy responses. Representative Martin pointed to lines in the resolution that link a public-hazard recognition to potential needs for education, prevention, research and policy changes.
The committee voted 10-4 to adopt the amendment that directs legislative management to study the issue. The committee then approved a "do pass" recommendation on the amended concurrent resolution and later voted to place the measure on the consent calendar; both final actions passed on roll calls tallying 14-0 in favor for the due pass and 14-0 to move to consent.
Why it matters: Supporters said a study could identify steps state government can take if a professional body concludes there is a public health hazard. Opponents argued the legislature's symbolic declaration has limited effect and that labeling a matter a public-health hazard is typically the role of public-health agencies, not lawmakers.
Discussion included whether the amendment's draft language included a verb indicating whether legislative management "may" or "shall" consider the study; Representative Hager asked for that clarification during debate. Representative Hoch said the study could help clarify what policy steps would follow from a formal declaration.
Ending: With the committee's approval and placement on the consent calendar, Senate Concurrent Resolution 4017 will proceed to the House floor with a committee recommendation that legislative management study the issue and that the resolution be adopted.
