AB1288 - Registered environmental health specialists.

Assembly Bill No. 1288 CHAPTER 297 An act to amend Sections 106615, 106625, 106635, 106665, 106670, 106675, 106680, 106685, and 106690 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health. [ Approved by Governor October 03, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 03, 2025. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1288, Addis. Registered environmental health specialists. Existing law provides for the certification of registered environmental health specialists by the State Department of Public Health and establishes application, examination, and renewal fees for this certification. Existing law prescribes educational requirements for the registration of an environmental health specialist and requires all basic science coursework to be equal to what is acceptable in an approved environmental health degree program. Existing law provides that only a person who meets those educational and experience requirements is eligible for admission to the environmental health specialist examination. Existing law prohibits an applicant who fails to pass the written examination twice from taking the examination additional times unless specified time periods have elapsed. Existing law prohibits a person from taking the examination more than once in a 2-year period. Existing law requires the department to maintain a current registry of all registered environmental health specialists and environmental health specialist trainees in the state. Existing law defines the scope of practice for a registered environmental health professional to include, but not be limited to, the prevention of environmental health hazards and the promotion and protection of the public health and the environment in specified areas, including, among others, food protection, housing, and hazardous materials management. Existing law authorizes a local health department to employ a registered environmental health specialist to enforce public health laws, as specified. Existing law authorizes an environmental health specialist trainee to work under the supervision of a registered environmental health specialist for a period not to exceed 3 years. Existing law defines “environmental health specialist trainee” as a person who possesses a bachelor’s degree, as specified, and who is engaged in an approved environmental health training plan. Existing law requires an environmental health training plan to include specified elements. This bill would instead prohibit an applicant from being reexamined for 90 days after failing to pass the written examination. The bill would revise the educational requirements for the registration of an environmental health specialist, as specified, and would delete the requirement that basic science coursework be equal to what is acceptable in an approved environmental health degree program. This bill would extend the period of required supervision to instead not exceed 5 years. The bill would include body art and medical waste in the scope of practice of registered environmental health specialists and would revise the environmental health training plan elements, as specified. The bill would require the department to make its registry of registered specialists and trainees publicly available on its internet website within 90 days of the administration of an exam. Existing law requires an Environmental Health Specialist Registration Committee to be appointed to advise and to make recommendations to the department. Existing law prescribes the membership of the committee, including 2 members with experience as local directors of environmental health, as specified, 2 members from environmental health faculty from California universities and colleges, 2 public members who have not been engaged in the field of environmental health in the 5 years preceding their appointment, and the Chief of the Environmental Planning and Local Health Services Branch, who serves as executive officer in a nonvoting role. Existing law prohibits a committee member from serving no more than 2 successive terms and requires a committee member to serve until the appointment and qualification of their successor or until one year after their term has expired, whichever occurs first. This bill would instead make the State Environmental Health Director serve as the executive officer of the committee and would revise the committee membership, as specified. The bill would delete the prohibition on a committee member serving more than 2 consecutive terms. The bill would delete the requirement that a committee member serve until one year after the expiration of their term. The bill would make clarifying technical changes to the terminology used in those and related provisions to distinguish local directors of environmental health from the State Environmental Health Director. Existing law requires the committee to meet at least twice annually and defines a quorum for these purposes as 6 members of the committee. Existing law requires the committee to keep a record of its proceedings. This bill would require the committee to meet at least quarterly, in person or virtually, and would redefine a quorum of the committee to mean a simple majority of the filled committee seats. The bill would authorize the chairperson to cancel a committee meeting, as specified. The bill would also require the committee to keep a record of its meetings. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 106615 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 106615. For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (a) “Department” means the State Department of Public Health. (b) “Committee” means the Environmental Health Specialist Registration Committee. (c) “Registered environmental health specialist” means an environmental health professional educated and trained within the field of environmental health who is registered in accordance with the provisions of this article. (d) “Environmental health specialist trainee” means a person who meets both of the following requirements: (1) Possesses a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, including 30 semester units of basic sciences, from a department-approved educational institution or an educational institution of collegiate grade listed in the directory of accredited institutions of postsecondary education compiled by the American Council on Education but who has not completed the specific coursework and experience requirements in the field of environmental health as required by Section 106660 for registration. (2) Is engaged in an approved environmental health training plan. (e) “Scope of practice in environmental health” means the practice of environmental health by registered environmental health specialists in the public and private sectors within the meaning of this article and includes, but is not limited to, organization, management, education, enforcement, consultation, and emergency response for the purpose of prevention of environmental health hazards and the promotion and protection of the public health and the environment in the following areas: food protection; housing; institutional environmental health; land use; community noise control; recreational swimming areas and waters; electromagnetic radiation control; solid and liquid waste and hazardous materials management; underground storage tank control; onsite septic systems; vector control; drinking water quality; water sanitation; emergency preparedness; body art; medical waste; and milk and dairy sanitation pursuant to Section 33113 of the Food and Agricultural Code. Activities of registered environmental health specialists shall be regulated by the department upon the recommendation of the committee. (f) “Certificate of registration” means a signed document issued by the department as evidence of registration and qualification to practice as a registered environmental health specialist under this article. The certificate shall bear the designation “registered environmental health specialist” and shall show the name of the person, date of issue, registration number, and seal. (g) “Experience requirement” means on-the-job training and experience, as stated in this article, that all environmental health specialist trainees shall complete prior to obtaining eligibility for the environmental health specialist examination. (h) “Approved environmental health training plan” means a training program in an organization that plans to utilize environmental health specialist trainees and has a copy of its training plan on file with the department that conforms with the requirements of Section 106665 and that has been approved by the committee. (i) “Examination” means a written professional examination prescribed by the department, administered in person or online, for registration in accordance with this article. SEC. 2. Section 106625 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 106625. The governing body of a local health department may employ on a full-time basis one or more registered environmental health specialists, each of whom shall be a registered environmental health specialist as provided for in this article, for the purpose of the enforcement of statutes related to public health, the regulations of the department, and any local ordinances of a local health department that relate to activities pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 106615. However, a person who is known as an environmental health specialist trainee may be employed to work under the supervision of a registered environmental health specialist, until the trainee is qualified by examination pursuant to Section 106670, for a period that shall not exceed five years. Prior to employment, the trainee shall have a current evaluation letter from the department stating that the education qualifications specified in Section 106660 have been met. SEC. 3. Section 106635 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 106635. (a) The requirements for registration of environmental health specialists shall be a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a department-approved educational institution or an educational institution of collegiate grade listed in the directory of accredited institutions of postsecondary education compiled by the American Council on Education. (b) A transcript shall demonstrate both of the following: (1) Basic science coursework taken from a department-approved educational institution in accordance with Section 106640 or an educational institution of collegiate grade listed in the directory of accredited institutions of postsecondary education compiled by the American Council on Education. (2) Basic science coursework, as follows: Basic Requirements Experience Training I. 30 semester or 45 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory. 18 months 600 hrs. General Chemistry General Physics or Organic Chemistry General Microbiology General Biological Science Calculus or College Algebra II. 45 semester or 68 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory. one year 450 hrs. General Chemistry Organic Chemistry General Physics General Microbiology General Biological Science Calculus or College Algebra III. 30 semester or 45 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory. 9 months 300 hrs. General Chemistry General Physics or Organic Chemistry General Microbiology General Biological Science Calculus or College Algebra plus Three semester or four quarter unit courses in each of the following: Epidemiology Statistics Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration and; 10 semester or 15 quarter units in environmental health science, including one or more of the following: water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector control, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy products, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development. IV. 45 semester or 68 quarter basic science units, including the following: 6 months 200 hrs. Three of the following required basic science courses shall include a laboratory: General Chemistry Organic Chemistry General Physics General Microbiology General Biological Science Calculus or College Algebra plus Three semester or four quarter unit courses in each of the following: Epidemiology Statistics Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration and; 10 semester or 15 quarter units in Environmental Health Science, including one or more of the following: water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector control, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy products, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development. V. Possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental health from a National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) approved institution or an institution approved by the com­mittee, which includes: One year of lecture and laboratory coursework in each of the following: None required None required General Chemistry General Physics General Biological Science, and One semester course in: Calculus or College Algebra Organic Chemistry General Microbiology with Laboratory Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration Epidemiology Statistics Field Orientation Course in Environmental Health Fifteen semester units of environmental health science courses selected from: water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector con­trol, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy prod­ucts, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development. (c) (1) For purposes of this section, “basic sciences” include life sciences, natural sciences, physical sciences, and health sciences. (2) Social science courses, such as sociology or psychology, shall not count toward the basic science requirements. SEC. 4. Section 106665 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 106665. An approved environmental health training plan shall include program elements in the training, duration of training, and types of training. (a) Program elements, duration of training, and experience are as follows: (1) All environmental health specialist trainees shall complete a basic training period in an approved program. The training period shall include training in at least three of the following primary elements: (A) Food safety. (B) Solid waste. (C) Liquid waste. (D) Water quality. (E) Housing and institutions. (F) Recreational health. (G) Body art [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]