House 4463

WEST virginia legislature

2026 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 4463

By Delegates Clark, Funkhouser, Masters, Horst, Miller, Flanigan, Ridenour, Roop, Pritt, and Hillenbrand

[Introduced; referred

to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend and reenact §30-17-5, §30-17-8, §30-17-9 and §30-17-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to modifying rules related to the Board of Sanitarians; authorizing online training; establishing time limit on certain training; clarifying that a Registered Sanitarian may license individuals fulfilling requirements; and requiring board adopt reciprocity standards by May 1, 2026.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 17. SANITARIANS.

§30-17-5. Powers and duties of the board.

(a) The board has all the powers and duties set forth in article one of this chapter and also the following powers and duties:

(1) Hold meetings, conduct hearings and administer examinations;

(2) Set the requirements for a license, permit and certificate;

(3) Establish procedures for submitting, approving and rejecting applications for a license, permit and certificate;

(4) Determine the qualifications of any applicant for a license, permit and certificate;

(5) Prepare, conduct, administer and grade written, oral or written and oral examinations for a license;

(6) Determine the passing grade for the examinations;

(7) Contract with third parties to administer the examinations required under the provisions of this article;

(8) Maintain records of the examinations the board or a third party administers, including the number of persons taking the examination and the pass and fail rate;

(9) Maintain an office, and hire, discharge, establish the job requirements and fix the compensation of employees and contracted employees necessary to enforce the provisions of this article;

(10) Define the fees charged under the provisions of this article;

(11) Issue, renew, deny, suspend, revoke or reinstate a license, permit and certificate;

(12) Investigate alleged violations of the provisions of this article, legislative rules, orders and final decisions of the board;

(13) Conduct disciplinary hearings of persons regulated by the board;

(14) Determine disciplinary action and issue orders;

(15) Institute appropriate legal action for the enforcement of the provisions of this article;

(16) Maintain an accurate registry of names and addresses of all persons regulated by the board;

(17) Keep accurate and complete records of its proceedings, and certify the same as may be necessary and appropriate;

(18) Establish the continuing education requirements for licensees, permittees and certificate holders;

(19) Propose rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions of this article;

(20) Sue and be sued in its official name as an agency of this state;

(21) Confer with the Attorney General or his or her assistant in connection with legal matters and questions; and

(22) Take all other actions necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of this article.

(b) The board shall offer online training for licenses and certificates in lieu of in-person training.  

(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.  

(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired (not including on-the-job- training)

(c) Anyone holding a Registered Sanitarian credential shall be able to license an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-8. Qualifications for licensure as a registered sanitarian.

(a) To be eligible to be licensed as a registered sanitarian, the applicant must:

(1) Be of good moral character;

(2) Have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university;

(3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of three hundred hours, as approved by the board;

(4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science; and

(5) Pass an examination, as required by the board.

(b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene or other science field, as approved by the board, for one of the required years of experience.

(c) A registration issued by the board prior to July 1, 2010, shall for all purposes be considered a license issued under this article: Provided, That a person holding a registration issued prior to July 1, 2010, must renew pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(d) The board shall offer online training for licenses and certificates in lieu of in-person training.  

(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.  

(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired (not including on-the-job- training)

(e) Anyone holding a Registered Sanitarian credential shall be able to license an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-9. Qualifications for certificate as a sanitarian.

(a) To be eligible to be certified as a sanitarian, the applicant must:

(1) Be of good moral character;

(2) Have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university;

(3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of three hundred hours, as approved by the board; and

(4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science.

(b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene or other science field as approved by the board for one of the required years of experience.

(c) A person who is registered as a sanitarian-in-training by the board and on or before July 1, 2010, has two or more years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science, as approved by the board, shall for all purposes be considered certified under this article: Provided, That such a person must renew pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(d) The board shall offer online training for licenses and certificates in lieu of in-person training.  

(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.  

(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired (not including on-the-job- training)

(e) Anyone holding a Registered Sanitarian credential shall be able to license an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-12. License from another state.

(a) The board may issue a license or a certificate to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation in this state, without requiring an examination, to an applicant from another jurisdiction who:

(1) Is of good moral character;

(2) Holds a valid sanitarian license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation in another jurisdiction and meets requirements which are substantially equivalent to the requirements set forth in this article;

(3) Is not currently being investigated by a disciplinary authority of this state or another jurisdiction, does not have charges pending against his or her license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation, and has never had a license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation revoked;

(4) Has not previously failed an examination for licensure in this state;

(5) Has paid all the applicable fees;

(6) Completes any additional training as determined by the board; and

(7) Completes such other action as required by the board.

(b) The board shall immediately adopt the universal reciprocity reforms passed by the legislature in 2025 by no later than May 1, 2026.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to modify rules related to the Board of Sanitarians.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.