HBA-JEK H.B. 3610 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3610 By: Capelo Public Health 3/22/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law authorizes the Texas Board of Health (TBH) to accredit an education or training program for food service workers only if the program meets certain criteria and is at least 15 hours long. The advent of distance learning and CD-ROM retail food training programs now enables food service workers to learn basic food safety principles at their own pace without having to attend classroom training in person. House Bill 3610 allows for alternative training methods by removing the 15 hour classroom requirement and requiring TBH to establish the course content required for the accreditation of an education and training program for food service workers. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Board of Health in SECTION 1 (Section 438.043, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 3610 amends the Health and Safety Code to remove the provisions setting forth curriculum and examination criteria for the Texas Board of Health (board) to use in accrediting education and training programs for food service workers and instead requires the board by rule to establish the course content required for accreditation. The bill requires students of a program to take an examination approved by the Texas Department of Health and to assist TDH in evaluating the program. The bill removes the provision that provides that a food service worker trained in a course for the employees of a single entity is considered to have met a local health jurisdiction's training and testing requirements only as to food service performed for that entity. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.