Policy & Position Statements
Policy Statements
One of our responsibilities is to speak up on issues of concern to our members and the profession through the adoption of policy statements. These statements have been vetted by our team and adopted by the Board of Directors as official statements of the association. Each statement sets forth our beliefs on a specific subject related to environmental health and is shared with state, local, and federal policymakers, including both the executive and legislative branches, as well as relevant environmental and public health boards. The policies remain active for five years.
Body Art
- November 2021-2026: Body Art | PDF
Climate Change
- July 2023-2028 Climate Change | PDF
Data Modernization
- July 2023-2028: The Need for Data Modernization and Informatics in Environmental Health Programs | PDF
Food Safety
- July 2022-2027: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code | PDF
- January 2022-2027: Food Freedom Operations | PDF
- November 2021-2026: Food Safety | PDF
- November 2021-2026: Uniform and Integrated Food Safety System Adoption | PDF
- February 2021-2026: Point-of-Service Food Inspection Disclosure | PDF
- July 2023-2028: Raw Milk | PDF
- July 2023-2028: Enrollment and Conformance With the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards of the Food and Drug Administration | PDF
- July 2023-2028: Food Safety Related to Consumable Cannabis Products | PDF
Preparedness
- November 2021-2026: Role of Environmental Health in Preparedness | PDF
Rural & Frontier
- December 2024-2029: Rural and Frontier Environmental Public Health | PDF
Vector Control
Water Quality
- December 2024-2029: Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems | PDF
- July 2023-2028: Recreational Waters and the Model Aquatic Health Code | PDF
- November 2021-2026: Well Water Quality Testing Regulation | PDF
Workforce
- January 2023-2028: Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian Credential | PDF
Letters
2025
- May 2025: Public Health Data Modernization FY26 Funding | PDF
- May 2025: TikTok成人版鈥檚 Letter to Congressional Health & Human Services Committees regarding the FY 2026 CDC National Center for Environmental Health Budget | PDF
- May 2025: Support of ATSDR FY 2026 Funding | PDF
- May 2025: Support for CDC鈥檚 National Center for Environmental Health FY 2026 Funding | PDF
- May 2025: Support for EPA FY 2026 Funding | PDF
- April 2025: Critical Role of Congressional Review Act | PDF
- April 2025: TikTok成人版鈥檚 Letter regarding the Restructuring of HHS鈥檚 environmental health agencies | PDF
- February 2025: Letter to Congressional Health & Human Services Committees Appropriators on CDC鈥檚 NCEH FY 2025 Budget | PDF
2024
- May 2024: To Senate on FDA FY 25 Appropriations | PDF
- April 2024: To congressional appropriators regarding CDC NCEH FY 2025 funding | PDF
- April 2024: To congressional appropriators regarding ATSDR FY 2025 funding | PDF
- February 2024: To congressional appropriators regarding FDA鈥檚 Human Foods FY 2024 funding | PDF
2023
- September 2023: To Congress regarding the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act | PDF
- June 2023: Response to request from FDA for Good Manufacturing Practices on tattooing inks and pigments | PDF
- May 2023: Urging Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to veto Bill 315, that allows the sale of raw milk | PDF
- April 2023: Response to information request from Congresswoman Miller-Meeks | PDF
- February 2023: Environmental health should be included in the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program with $100 million allocated from the President's 2024 budget request | PDF
- January 2023: In support of the recommendations of the Reagan-Udall Foundation to improve our nation鈥檚 food safety system, identifying three recommendations | PDF
2022
- November 2022: Support for increased funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health to $311.85 million | PDF
- November 2022: Support for at least $400 million for the Housing and Urban Development's Office of Lead Hazard Control & Health Housing | PDF
- February 2022: Incorporating Environmental Health within the PREVENT Pandemics Act | PDF
2021
- June 2021: Inclusion of environmental health in the American Rescue Plan Letter to the White House | PDF
- May 2021: Support Environmental Health Workforce Act HR 2611 | Letter
Sign-Ons
"Sign-on" is a term used to characterize certain policy positions. Often one or more organizations, like ours, will seek to develop a policy position or position on a particular piece of legislation. To increase the impact and effectiveness of that position, once developed, it is circulated among other organizations and groups having a similar interest in that given policy area.
A consensus position is developed among these various groups, allowing them to sign-on to a policy or legislative position. That letter or policy statement is then sent to Congress and it becomes a more effective way to communicate a position because of the combined effect of all groups that join in that stand. We use this mechanism as means of gaining greater attention for a policy or legislative position. We have joined in communicating the following positions.:
2024
- September 2024: Letter opposing congressional cut to CDC in the Labor-HHS FY2025 Appropriation | PDF
- September 2024: Supporting the Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2024 | PDF
- August 2024: Full authorization of $100 million for Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program | PDF
- July 2024: Changes Congress is proposing regarding public health research at the NIH | PDF
- June 2024: Letter to Appropriators to Fully Fund Non-Defense Discretionary (NDD) Programs | PDF
- June 2024: Letter to Appropriators to Fund NIOSH FY25 | PDF
- May 2024: EPA Clean Air Funding request for FY 2025 | PDF
- May 2024: ICC Building Energy Codes Adoption | PDF
- May 2024: Letter to House on FDA Line Item Appropriation | PDF
- May 2024: Letter to Senate on FDA Line Item Appropriation | PDF
- May 2024: NIOSH Outdoor Workers Exposed to Wildfire Smoke | PDF
- May 2024: Consumer and Industry Groups Ask for Food Safety Line Item |
- April 2024: FY25 EPA Funding | PDF
- April 2024: CDC Recission Letter | PDF
- April 2024: Data Modernization Appropriations | PDF
- April 2024: FY24 Food Chemical Letter | PDF
- April 2024: FY25 ATSDR Appropriations | PDF
- April 2024: FY25 CDC NCEH Appropriations | PDF
- April 2024: FY25 OCCHE Appropriations | PDF
- April 2024: Amicus Brief in support of the Held Plaintiffs in Held v. Montana |
- March 2024: FY25 Vector-Borne Appropriations | PDF
- February 2024: EPA Smoggy Skies | PDF
- February 2024: USDA鈥檚 Rural Decentralized Water Systems | PDF
- January 2024: Non-Defense Discretionary Cuts | PDF
- January 2024: HUD Protection from Radon | PDF
2023
- December 2023: Congressional Letter to Support Hearing on Opioid Overdoses at Work | PDF
- December 2023: CDC Coalition Letter on CDC FY 2024 Appropriations | PDF
- November 2023: Health Groups Comments on EPA Major Source Re-classification | PDF
- November 2023: HUD FHFA letter | PDF
- November 2023: Health Groups on Government Funding | PDF
- November 2023: Health Groups on EPA Funding | PDF
- September 2023: Healthy Homes Act of 2023 |
- August 2023: Health Groups letter on USDA Farm Bill Food Nutrition | PDF
- July 2023: Health Groups Letter on FY24 Appropriations | PDF
- May 2023: FDA Collaboration with FDA | PDF
- April 2023: Friends of NIOSH FY24 Letter | PDF
- April 2023: OSHA-NIOSH Senate Funding Letter | PDF
- April 2023: FY24 DNPAO CDC Request CDC Coalition | PDF
- April 2023: OSHA-NIOSH House Funding Letter FY24 | PDF
- March 2023: FY24 USDA Rural Decentralized Water Systems Joint Letter | PDF
- March 2023: Data Modernization Initiative | PDF
- March 2023: FY24 Public Health and Bio Pilot LRP Appropriations Letter | PDF
- March 2023: FY24 ATSDR Request for CDC Coalition | PDF
- March 2023: FY24 CDC Request for CDC Coalition | PDF
- March 2023: Center for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 National Center for Environmental Health Funding | PDF
- March 2023: Health Partners Letter Opposing REINS Act | PDF
- March 2023: Health Org Air Coalition to Congress | PDF