SB45INTRODUCED
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SB45
EILS2C9-1
By Senators Sessions, Williams, Jones, Price, Weaver
RFD: Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
First Read: 06-Feb-24
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5 EILS2C9-1 01/31/2024 ZAK (L)cr 2024-326
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First Read: 06-Feb-24
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would require the State Health Officer
to issue an advisory regarding the consumption of fish
from waters of this state when deemed appropriate.
This bill would require the State Health Officer
to establish a panel to review and approve procedures
to administer these advisories.
This bill would require the Alabama Department
of Environmental Management to post signage at access
areas adjacent to waters of this state with an active
fish consumption advisory.
This bill would also require the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources to notify fishing
license purchasers of active fish consumption
advisories.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to consumption of fishes; to require the State
Health Officer to issue advisories concerning the consumption
of fishes; to establish a panel to review and approve methods
to administer these advisories; to require the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management to test fishes for
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Department of Environmental Management to test fishes for
pollutants and to post signage at certain water bodies
notifying of active advisories; and to require the Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources to notify fishing
license purchasers of all active advisories.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the Safe and Healthy Outdoor Recreation Act of 2024.
Section 2. The Legislature finds and declares all the
following:
(1) That outdoor recreation, including catching,
cooking, and eating fish, is a fundamental way of life for
countless residents of this state.
(2) That all Alabamians should have the right to know
whether it is safe to consume the fish they catch.
(3) That illnesses stemming from contact with
contaminated fish pose a public health risk to the people of
this state.
Section 3. (a) The State Health Officer, in
consultation with the Director of the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management, shall issue a fish consumption
advisory when it is reasonable and necessary to protect public
health and well-being. The Alabama Department of Public Health
shall publish the advisory on its website in a clear and
concise manner and maintain a dedicated telephone number to
provide information related to the advisory.
(b)(1) The State Health Officer shall establish an
advisory panel to analyze, develop, and implement the issuance
of fish consumption advisories. The panel shall consist of
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of fish consumption advisories. The panel shall consist of
representatives from all of the following:
a. The Alabama Department of Public Health.
b. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
c. The Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources.
d. Any business, conservation and environmental
nongovernmental organization, or other stakeholder who desires
to improve the program.
(2) The panel shall meet no less than twice each year
and review and approve all of the following:
a. Tissue sampling methodologies.
b. Specific water bodies and fish species to be
sampled.
c. Pollutant toxicity limits, as proposed by the
Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management, and the Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources.
d. Strategies for communicating fish consumption
advisories to the public.
e. Any other subject relevant to the program.
Section 4. (a) The Alabama Department of Environmental
Management, in consultation with the Alabama Department of
Public Health, shall conduct regular fish tissue monitoring to
evaluate safe consumption levels of fish species. The Alabama
Department of Environmental Management shall annually publish
a report on its website, which shall be made available for
public comment, detailing and identifying the methodology and
reasoning for evaluating the species and pollutants chosen.
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reasoning for evaluating the species and pollutants chosen.
(b) The Alabama Department of Environmental Management
shall post signage at any public boat ramp adjacent to state
waters with an active fish consumption advisory notifying the
public of this fact. The signage shall include a telephone
number for the department, an Internet address, and a quick
response code for a website from which to obtain information
about fish consumption advisories, water quality, and water
discharge permits. The Alabama Department of Environmental
Management may consult with other state agencies, political
subdivisions of this state, nongovernmental organizations,
private corporations, or any other organization to implement
this subsection.
Section 5. The Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources, with each issuance of an electronic fishing
license, shall notify the licensee of current fish consumption
advisories by providing an Internet address to access all
active advisories online.
Section 6. This act shall become effective October 1,
2024.
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