MACo Policy Associate Drew Jabin today testified before the House Appropriations Committee to support HB 65 State Board of Environmental Specialists – Fees – General Fund. This bill ensures stable funding for the State Board of Environmental Health Specialists.

From the MACo Testimony:

Licensed Environmental Health Specialists in Maryland provide essential services to their communities
including oversight of recreation venues, ensuring food safety preparation standards are upheld, and
ensuring safe water supply. The Board ensures that these professionals are properly trained and
licensed, an underpinning of public trust in their important functions.

The Board has seen rises in ongoing costs associated with licensure and is facing financial challenges.
Its special fund status is not self-sustaining and because of its limited membership, this important
organization faces undue risk. HB 65 would return the Board’s financial support to the General Fund,
where it was until 2012. This would provide a higher level of certainty to these professionals, and their
service that plays a critical role in ensuring the health and welfare of communities in the state.
Accordingly, MACo urges the Committee to issue a FAVORABLE report on HB 65.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2021 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.