On March 2, 2022, Associate Policy Director Dominic Butchko testified before the House Environment and Transportation and Health and Government Operations Committees in support of HB 1068 – Local Health Departments, Environmental Health Specialists, and On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems – Systems Standards, Regulations, Applications, and Funding. The bill would improve the standardization and automation of the on-site sewage disposal system process.

MACo originally opposed the Senate crossfile of HB1068, but after working with the bill sponsors, we were able to find middle ground. The amended version of this bill will help address many of the government-side problems slowing down the septic application process.

From the MACo testimony: 

Counties recognize that timely processing of permit approvals is crucial for local commercial
and residential activity in affected areas. Counties agree with and appreciate the intent of
HB 1068 to streamline internal process information-sharing and invest in local health departments as a means for solving application delays. The proposed improvements are anticipated to ease backlogs and make the application process more efficient and transparent.

MACo testified on the bill’s crossfile, SB 113, on February 2, 2022.

More on MACo’s Advocacy:

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2022 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.
Learn more about MACo’s 2022 Legislative Initiatives.
Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog.