HB 2326 - DIGEST

Finds that the public health system as defined in RCW 43.70.575 is essential to fulfilling the state's responsibility to protect the health and safety of its citizens. The legislature further finds that local public health departments lack adequate resources even as their duties increase. Rather than risk catastrophic loss of life, the legislature further finds that local public health departments must immediately be given the resources to effectively implement the specific public health improvement standards concerning threats to our drinking water and food supplies, communicable disease, and other first-responder duties unique to local public health departments, pursuant to the requirements in RCW 43.70.520.