H.R. 10007
Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2026
Sponsor: Shri Thanedar · 0 cosponsors
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2026
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out certain activities related to the environmental-health workforce. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on state-based practices for training and credentialing environmental-health workers.
Specifically, HHS must develop model standards and guidelines for credentialing environmental-health workers and a plan to ensure its programs and activities meet the future needs of the environmental-health workforce.
The bill also specifies that environmental-health workers are eligible for public-service loan forgiveness for educational loans.
Text of the bill
(a) In general. To ensure that programs and activities (including education, training, and payment programs) of the Department of Health and Human Services for developing the environmental health workforce meet national needs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan for such programs and activities that—
(1) includes performance measures to more clearly determine the extent to which these programs and activities are meeting the Department’s strategic goal of strengthening the environmental health workforce;
(2) identifies and communicates to stakeholders any gaps between existing programs and activities and future environmental health workforce needs identified in workforce projections of the Health Resources and Services Administration;
(3) identifies actions needed to address such identified gaps; and
(4) identifies any additional statutory authority that is needed by the Department to implement such identified actions.
(b) Submission to Congress. Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, the plan developed under subsection (a).