HBA-JEK S.B. 1373 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1373 By: Moncrief Public Health 5/4/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law authorizes the Texas Board of Health (board) to accredit an education or training program for food service workers only if the program meets certain criteria and includes 14 hours of classroom instruction and a one hour examination. 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. Removing the statutory requirements would allow alternative training methods. Senate Bill 1373 requires the board 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 Senate Bill 1373 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 (program) 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 (TDH) to assist TDH in evaluating the program. The bill deletes 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. The bill specifies that unless TDH has found or has reason to believe that the provider of the course breached test security, issued counterfeit certificates, or provided students with test answers a local health jurisdiction is required to accept as sufficient to meet the jurisdiction's training and testing requirements a training course that is accredited by TDH and listed with the registry. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.