READ FIRST TIME 02/11/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to the availability of nutrition information; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1)(a) A legislative task force on nutritional information disclosure is established, with members appointed by the governor as provided in this subsection:
     (i) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate;
     (ii) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives;
     (iii) Four representatives of the restaurant industry in consultation with the Washington restaurant association;
     (iv) Two representatives of consumer groups in consultation with the American heart association and the American diabetes association;
     (v) One representative from the state board of health; and
     (vi) One representative from a local board of health or health district.
     (b) The task force shall choose its chair from among its membership at its first meeting.
     (2) The task force must study current efforts on nutritional information disclosure at restaurants including, but not limited to, systems for estimating actual nutritional information, health impacts of menu labeling, cost and impact to the restaurant industry, and alternatives to any current approaches. The task force must also review how other states are addressing the issue.
     (3) Staff support for the task force must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
     (4) Legislative members of the task force must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120.
     (5) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
     (6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2008, with recommendations for providing nutritional information to consumers in restaurant settings.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A moratorium is enacted upon all local boards of health or health districts from adopting an ordinance, rule, policy, regulation, or permit requirement regarding mandatory menu labeling or nutritional information disclosure until April 26, 2009. Any ordinance, rule, policy, regulation, or permit requirement regarding mandatory menu labeling or nutritional information disclosure adopted before the effective date of this section shall not be enforced until April 26, 2009. This chapter does not prohibit a local board of health or health district from adopting or encouraging voluntary measures regarding menu labeling or nutritional information disclosure at restaurants.