Title: An act relating to preventing the spread of disease in body piercing practices through standard universal precautions and sterilization requirements.

Brief Description: Regulating body piercing.

Sponsors: Representatives Appleton, Campbell, Cody, Moeller, Green, Clibborn, Lantz, Morrell and Chase.

Brief History:

Health Care: 1/10/06, 1/13/06 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 15 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Campbell, Vice Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Hinkle, Ranking Minority Member; Curtis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Appleton, Bailey, Clibborn, Condotta, Green, Lantz, Moeller, Schual-Berke and Skinner.

Staff: Chris Blake (786-7392).

Background:

The Secretary of Health (Secretary) establishes requirements for the sterilization of needles and instruments used by electrologists and tattoo artists. These rules address both sterilization procedures and universal precautions for preventing the spread of disease. There are no similar provisions for body piercing.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The Secretary must adopt rules to establish standard universal precautions, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for preventing the spread of disease and sterilizing equipment used for body piercing and body art. Those who practice body piercing or body art must comply with the Secretary's rules. Failure to comply is a gross misdemeanor and constitutes negligence per se in a civil proceeding.

The term "body art" is defined as physical cosmetic body adornment, including branding and scarification. The term "body piercing" is defined as penetrating the skin to insert an object for cosmetic purposes, but does not include the use of stud and clasp piercing systems to pierce the earlobe. Neither term includes health-related procedures performed by a licensed health care practitioner.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill expands the exclusion of medical procedures performed by physicians or medical practitioners from the terms "body art" and "body piercing" to more broadly exclude health-related procedures by licensed health care provides.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: Body piercing is an unregulated industry that involves invasive procedures which should be subject to protective standards. Requiring body piercers to comply with sterilization procedures will reduce the risk of infections in people obtaining piercings and will ensure minimum statewide standards for the body piercing industry.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Appleton, prime sponsor; Jude Van Buren, Department of Health; Gail McGaffick, Washington State Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Association; and Troy Amundson, Apocalypse Piercing.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.