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Committee sends Health and Welfare cleanup bill to floor, clarifies agency responsibilities including pool inspections
Summary
House Bill 30, described by sponsor Representative Lori McCann as a "cleanup" bill following agency changes, was sent to the House floor with a due pass recommendation. The bill reallocates some Health and Welfare responsibilities to other agencies and clarifies that local health departments will continue to regulate swimming pools.
The House Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 30 to the House floor with a due pass recommendation after sponsor Representative Lori McCann described the measure as a cleanup following departmental changes.
"When this bill was presented, it's, basically a cleanup bill," McCann said. She told the committee the bill updates statutory references after portions of the Department of Health and Welfare were spun off to other agencies and adjusts which agency is responsible in specific statutory citations. McCann said portions of responsibility are being moved or clarified to the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality where appropriate.
McCann addressed a committee concern about swimming pool oversight, telling members that "pools will continue to be regulated" and that local health departments are better positioned to perform local inspections. She said the department had not been regularly performing those inspections and that local health departments would more sensibly handle oversight.
McCann offered to bring a Department of Health and Welfare representative, "Mr. Larson from the department," if the committee needed specific answers, but no departmental witness was called during the discussion. Representative Haley moved to send the bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
House Bill 30 was the second and final substantive item on the committee's agenda that day and was forwarded to the full House for further consideration.
