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
Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is amended in paragraph (3)(B)—
(1) in clause (i), by striking or at the end;
(2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
(iii) a full-time job as an environmental health worker (as defined in section 7 of the Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2026) who is accredited, certified, or licensed in accordance with applicable law.