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State Enacted Body Art Legislation: 2024 Sessions
October 11, 2024 For the 2024 state legislative sessions that began in January 2024, state legislators introduced 64 bills related to body art. Of these bills, 19 were passed and enacted into law. Body art legislation covered topics such as barb...
State Enacted Food Safety Legislation: 2024 Sessions
September 19, 2024 For the 2024 state legislative sessions that began in January 2024, state legislators introduced 250 bills related to food safety. Of these bills, 41 were passed and enacted into law, with another 11 eligible for signing by th...
Wildfire Response Guide
This wildfire-specific guide walks you through the potential considerations and roles for environmental public health professionals when responding to a wildfire. The guide includes:Response and recovery objectives for each environmental health ...
Back on the Hill Again, Virtually
May 28, 2024 During the hectic federal budget month of May, we were again talking to Congress, this time virtually.Republican appropriators from the House of Representative came out with their top line fiscal year (FY) 2025 budgetsā$711 billion ...
We Were Back on Capitol Hill Advocating for You
May 15, 2024 We were again advocating for environmental health on Capitol Hill, this time to promote funding for the Human Foods Program within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Government Affairs Director Doug Farquhar met with 17 congress...
Our Visit to the CDC Vector-Borne Laboratory
April 30, 2024 On Wednesday, April 24, our CEO Dr. David Dyjack and Government Affairs Director Doug Farquhar visited the CDC Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Dr. Sue Visser, deputy director for Policy and Extramural Pro...
State Voices Amplified During 2024 Hill Day
April 8, 2024 We held our 7th Annual Hill Day on March 28, 2024, with a new twist. This was the first year that instead of only including our board members, we facilitated the opportunity for our members to join us. We are pleased to report that...
President Biden Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal Released
March 18, 2024 President Biden released his fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget proposal on March 11, outlining the Administrationās priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, including amounts to fund environmental health programs at the Cen...
Congress to Approve Fiscal Year 2024 Funding for Several Federal Agencies
March 4, 2024 Congress released the massive $467.5 billion fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations package for the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD budgets. T...
Federal Funding: Congressional Update
February 26, 2024 As we move into the sixth month of the federal fiscal year (FY 2024) with no final agreement and the continuing resolution (CR) expiring, Congress needs to actāeither to enact the appropriations bill or another CR.No one in Con...
MASS FEED
The Model for Analysis, Sharing, and Standardizing Food Electronic Environmental Data (MASS FEED) model is a structure and dictionary of fields, tables, and relationships that describe key jurisdiction, facility, and violation data.The MASS FEED...
2023 State Legislation on Body Art
January 9, 2024 A total of 60 pieces of legislation related to body art were introduced in 19 states and Puerto Rico during the 2023 legislative sessions. Of these 60, 9 were enacted in California, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee. ...
2023: Our Year in Review for Government Affairs
January 5, 2024 Washington, DC, remains as chaotic as ever. Congress spent more time trying to figure out a speaker than floor time on appropriations. The House of Representatives is as far behind as it has ever been on passing the fiscal year (...
House and Senate Have Until January 19 to Finalize Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations
December 18, 2023 Congress is much closer to finalizing the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations than the last blog posted on the topic in July, but they still have a ways to go. Top-Line Spending Levels and Other Fund...
2023 Update on State Food Safety Legislation
October 3, 2023 The following table provides a summary of bills related to food safety that have been introduced by state legislations in 2023.Food Safety Topic# of Bills IntroducedRetail food67Food freedom66Food safety51Meat, seafood, or poultr...
Our Story to Tell
October 3, 2023 As I relax here in a cabana near Cabo San Jose in Baja, California, Iām letting myself do one of my favorite forms of relaxation: thinking.Being unencumbered by the noise of everyday life frees me to just sit and think. About wor...
Preparedness in a Pandemic Workshop Exercise Starter Kit
This guide helps state, local, territorial, and tribal organizations conduct exercises on preparedness during a pandemic. The guide provides planning considerations, discussion questions, and how to conduct internal and external conversations du...
COVID-19 Best Practice Information: Natural Hazards Preparedness
This FEMA resource shares recommendations and best practices for state, local, tribal, and territorial officials when managing simultaneous risks posed by COVID-19 and natural hazards. This resource includes key considerations around:Public mess...
Guides to Expanding Mitigation
This guide is a part of a series that highlights partnerships for emergency mitigation. This resource includes: How communities can support hazard mitigation Ways to support FEMAās goal of building a culture of preparedness Recommended for e...
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act
September 5, 2023 The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPRA) undergoes review and is reauthorized by Congress every 5 years, the first time in 2018 and again at the end of September 2023. Congress has mark...
FDA Appoints Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Program
August 29, 2023 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the appointment of James āJimā Jones as the first-ever deputy commissioner for the Human Foods Program. As deputy commissioner of the Human Foods Program, J...
House and Senate Appropriators Remain Far Apart on Fiscal Year 2024 Budgets
August 25, 2023 Congressional appropriators remain where they were earlier this summer regarding budgets that affect environmental health. Not much movement on the appropriation budgets for the Centers for Disease Control and...
CDC Preparedness Response Capabilities
This resource includes numerous resources relating to emergency preparedness and response capabilities and contains:Emergency Preparedness ResourcesResponse CapabilitiesRecommended for environmental public health professionals and administrators...
Wells - What to Do After a Flood
The document provides steps and precautions for protecting private wells following a flood. This guide includes information on: Well and pump inspection Emergency disinfection of wells that have been flooded Sampling and testing the well w...
Underground Storage Tank Flood Guide
This document is a resource for underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators to help manage an UST before, during, and after a flooding event. The guide includes information on: Types of flooding Effects of flooding on UST systems Plan...
Safety in Emergency Shelters in Low Resource, Non-U.S. Settings
This document offers resources on emergency sheltering during the COVID-19 pandemic in non-U.S. settings and contains:Recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during evacuation shelteringEmergency Shelter Information ResponseRecommended...
ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ Rapid Needs Assessment for Floods in the Caribbean
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works to improve the health and quality of life of their populations in the countries of the Americas. PAHO developed an ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ Rapid Needs Assessment (ENRNA) tool as a basic operational ...
Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home
This EPA guide provides recommendations regarding indoor air quality. The guide offers comprehensive information and suggestions including pictures, diagrams, and Q/A at the end. This guide includes information on:At home air filtersRecommendati...
Guide for All-Hazard Emergency Operations Planning
This is a guidance document for development of plans for emergency management and contains: Preliminary Considerations Planning Process Emergency Operations Plan Basic Plan Hazard Unique Planning Linking Federal and State Emergenc...
Guidance for General Population Disaster Shelters COVID-19
This resource assesses best practices for the general population to use during emergency shelters during COVID-19 pandemic and contains:Opening disaster sheltersShelter prioritizationShelter health staffRecommended for local officials to underst...
Guidance for Septic Systems Before, During, and After Flooding
This guide provides support for individuals working and caring for septic systems before, during, and after floods and includes:GuideInfographicRecommended for environmental public health professionals working with disaster and flood response.Do...
Guidance for Field Staff During COVID-19
This resource is a guide to educate environmental public health professionals and public health officials on safety measures to reduce exposure to COVID-19 and contains points on: Assess the Risk Social Distancing Disinfection Handy H...
FEMA Hurricane Pandemic Plan
This is a guide for hurricane response during a pandemic and contains: Hurricane Guide Hurricane Response Recommended use as a guide to train environmental public health professionals working with disaste...
FEMA COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance
This operational guidance plan offers emergency management guidance at all levels of government. It includes:Response PlanningRecovery PlanningRecommended for Emergency response and preparedness planners.Download Guide...
COVID-19 Best Practice Information: Continuity of Operations
This is a FEMA resource of key findings and considerations on infrastructure maintenance and services for communities during a pandemic and contains:Key ConsiderationsLessons LearnedInfrastructure ConsiderationsRecommendations for Local Governme...
ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Guidance Manual
This North Carolina Public Health manual provides guidance to environmental public health (EPH) professionals for preparedness and recovery efforts and contains a: Guide Resource Review Recommended for supporting environmental public health...
Guidance for Septic Systems Before, During, and After an Earthquake
This guide provides information on caring for septic systems before, during, and after earthquakes. Recommended for disaster response professionals.Download...
Dual Disaster Handbook ā Flooding
This is a comprehensive handbook to help local officials and emergency managers address dual disaster scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. This handbook contains: Recommendations for Local Leaders Flood Response During COVID-19 Checklis...
Disaster Guide - Reopening a Retail Food Establishment
This document provides guidance for retail food service establishments that are resuming business in the aftermath of natural or other disasters. This guide provides educational resources on food safety after disasters. It includes: An all ha...
All-Hazards Incident Management Teams Association - Considerations in COVID-19
This FEMA resource guide shares best practices to support incident management and contains:Key ConsiderationsDetails of how all-hazards incident management teams have been involved in the COVID-19 responsePreliminary Best PracticesRecommended fo...
All Hazards Preparedness Guide
This CDC guide features general preparedness information and comprehensive steps to follow before, during, and after specific hazards. It contains a: Guide Form Resource Review Recommended for environmental public health and public healt...
A Guide to Operating Public Shelters in a Radiation Emergency
This guide has been developed to assist with planning and response efforts related to shelter operations in a radiation emergency. The guide provides information and guidance about: Screening for radioactive contamination Decontamination Rad...
House and Senate Continue to Work on Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations
July 24, 2023 The appropriation bills for Fiscal Year 2024 are being finalized, with the House Appropriations Committee passing the FY 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bi...
Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Moving Forward, Albeit Slowly
June 26, 2023After the recent debacle over the debt ceiling, Congress is once again working on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget. The Senate is using the agreed-to FY 2023 amount set by the debt ceiling and the House of Representatives is followi...
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
June 6, 2023 On Saturday, June 3, 2023, President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023, which raises the debt ceiling to allow the U.S. federal government to continue to pay its bills. The deal suspends the deb...
Iowa and South Carolina Redesign Their Public Health Agencies
May 19, 2023 No one needs to point out that the nationās public health system does not always function well, and the same can be said for environmental health. States are learning that cutting budgets and resources lead to subpar serv...
Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill
May 18, 2023The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies marked up the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bill on May 18, 2023. The committee approved a party line ...
We Were Back in Washington, DC, in Early May
May 17, 2023 Our director of Government Affairs was back at the nationās capital in early May to advocate for the inclusion of the environmental health workforce in the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program. We...