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HB1946 • 2026
Clarifying tribal membership on local boards of health.
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.
Local board of health/tribes
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
236 • Parshley
Plain English: 1946-S AMH PARS H1839.2 SHB 1946 - H AMD 236 By Representative Parshley ADOPTED AS AMENDED 03/12/2025 Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the 1 following: 2 "Sec.
816 • Hill
Plain English: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1946-S AMH HILL RUSM 240 1 - Official Print 1946-S AMH HILL RUSM 240 SHB 1946 - H AMD TO H AMD (H-1839.2/25) 816 By Representative Hill WITHDRAWN 03/12/2025 On page 3, line 1 of the striking amendment, after "(e)" insert "(i)" On page 3, beginning on line 1 of the striking amendment, after "reservation" strike all material through "county," on line 2 and insert "((,)) or trust lands, ((or has usual and accustomed areas within the county,))" On page 3, after line 10 of the striking amendment, insert the following: "(ii) A board must engage in formal consultation with a tribe that has usual and accustomed areas within the county when the board is proposing to take action that would result in restricting access to or impacting the tribe's ability to exercise its rights over the usual and accustomed areas." On page 5, line 36 of the striking amendment, after "(e)" insert "(i)" On page 5, beginning on line 36 of the striking amendment, after "reservation" strike all material through "county," on line 37 and insert "((,)) or trust lands, ((or has usual and accustomed areas within the county,))" On page 6, after line 5 of the striking amendment, insert the following: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1946-S AMH HILL RUSM 240 2 - Official Print "(ii) A board must engage in formal consultation with a tribe that has usual and accustomed areas within the county when the board is proposing to take action that would result in restricting access to or impacting the tribe's ability to exercise its rights over the usual and accustomed areas." On page 8, line 36 of the striking amendment, after "(e)" insert "(i)" On page 8, beginning on line 36 of the striking amendment, after "reservation" strike all material through "district," on line 38 and insert "((,)) or trust lands, ((or has usual and accustomed areas within the health district,))" On page 9, after line 5 of the striking amendment, insert the following: "(ii) A district health board must engage in formal consultation with a tribe that has usual and accustomed areas within the health district when the board is proposing to take action that would result in restricting access to or impacting the tribe's ability to exercise its rights over the usual and accustomed areas." On page 12, line 6 of the striking amendment, after "(e)" insert "(i)" On page 12, beginning on line 6 of the striking amendment, after "reservation" strike all material through "county," on line 7 and insert "((,)) or trust lands, ((or has usual and accustomed areas within the county,))" On page 12, after line 15 of the striking amendment, insert the following: "(ii) A district health board must engage in formal consultation with a tribe that has usual and accustomed areas within the county 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1946-S AMH HILL RUSM 240 3 - Official Print EFFECT: Removes federally recognized tribes with usual and accustomed areas within the jurisdiction of a district or local health board (Board) from the types of tribes who must be allowed a tribal representative to serve as a member on a Board.
860 • Klicker
Plain English: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1946-S AMH KLIC RUSM 190 1 - Official Print EFFECT: Provides that the absence of a tribal representative from a district or local board of health (Board) meeting may not prevent quorum or impair the ability of present board members to exercise Board powers or perform Board duties.
862 • Griffey
Plain English: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1946-S AMH GRIF RUSM 204 1 - Official Print 1946-S AMH GRIF RUSM 204 SHB 1946 - H AMD TO H AMD (H-1839.2/25) 862 By Representative Griffey NOT ADOPTED 03/12/2025 On page 3, line 7 of the striking amendment, after "((include))" strike "allow" and insert "invite" On page 3, line 8 of the striking amendment, after "and" insert "allow a representative from" On page 3, line 10 of the striking amendment, after "commission." insert "If a tribe declines an invitation to serve as a member under this subsection, it may later elect to participate and select a tribal representative to serve as a member as provided in this section." On page 6, line 2 of the striking amendment, after "((include))" strike "allow" and insert "invite" On page 6, line 3 of the striking amendment, after "and" insert "allow a representative from" On page 6, line 5 of the striking amendment, after "commission." insert "If a tribe declines an invitation to serve as a member under this subsection, it may later elect to participate and select a tribal representative to serve as a member as provided in this section." On page 9, line 2 of the striking amendment, after "((include))" strike "allow" and insert "invite" On page 9, line 3 of the striking amendment, after "and" insert "allow a representative from" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1946-S AMH GRIF RUSM 204 2 - Official Print EFFECT: Requires district and local boards of health (Board) to invite, rather than allow, a tribal representative from an eligible tribe to serve as a member on a board.
892 • Hill
Plain English: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1946-S AMH HILL RUSM 245 1 - Official Print EFFECT: Removes federally recognized tribes with usual and accustomed areas within the jurisdiction of a district or local health board (Board) from the types of tribes who must be allowed a tribal representative to serve as a member on a Board.
292 • Lovelett
Plain English: 1946-S.E AMS LOVE S2733.1 ESHB 1946 - S AMD 292 By Senator Lovelett ADOPTED 04/14/2025 On page 3, line 15, after "lands" insert "within the county"1 On page 6, line 9, after "lands" insert "within the county"2 On page 9, line 10, after "lands" insert " within the health 3 district" 4 On page 12, line 21, after "lands" insert "within the county"5 EFFECT: Clarifies that a federally recognized Indian tribe holding reservation or trust lands within the county or health district must be allowed to select a tribal representative to serve on the local board of health or health district board.
1st substitute bill substituted.
Local board of health/tribes
AN ACT Relating to clarifying tribal membership on local boards 1 of health; and amending RCW 70.05.030, 70.05.035, 70.46.020, and 2 70.46.031. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4 Sec. 1. RCW 70.05.030 and 2024 c 37 s 1 are each amended to read 5 as follows: 6 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, for 7 counties without a home rule charter, the board of county 8 commissioners and the members selected under (a) and (e) of this 9 subsection, shall constitute the local board of health, unless the 10 county is part of a health district pursuant to chapter 70.46 RCW. 11 For counties without a home rule charter where the board of county 12 commissioners is comprised of five commissioners, the board of county 13 commissioners may adopt an ordinance reducing the number of county 14 commissioners that are members of the local board of health, provided 15 that the board of health includes at least one county commissioner. 16 The jurisdiction of the local board of health shall be coextensive 17 with the boundaries of the county. 18 (a) The remaining board members must be persons who are not 19 elected officials and must be selected from the following categories 20 H-1304.1 HOUSE BILL 1946 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Representatives Hill, Lekanoff, Reed, Parshley, Pollet, Obras, Nance, Ormsby, and Macri Read first time 02/11/25. Referred to Committee on Local Government. p. 1 HB 1946 consistent with the requirements of this section and the rules 1 adopted by the state board of health under RCW 43.20.300:2 (i) Public health, health care facilities, and providers. This 3 category consists of persons practicing or employed in the county who 4 are: 5 (A) Medical ethicists; 6 (B) Epidemiologists; 7 (C) Experienced in environmental public health, such as a 8 registered sanitarian; 9 (D) Community health workers; 10 (E) Holders of master's degrees or higher in public health or the 11 equivalent; 12 (F) Employees of a hospital located in the county; or13 (G) Any of the following providers holding an active or retired 14 license in good standing under Title 18 RCW: 15 (I) Physicians or osteopathic physicians; 16 (II) Advanced practice registered ((nurse practitioners)) nurses;17 (III) Physician assistants or osteopathic physician assistants;18 (IV) Registered nurses; 19 (V) Dentists; 20 (VI) Naturopaths; or 21 (VII) Pharmacists; 22 (ii) Consumers of public health. This category consists of county 23 residents who have self-identified as having faced significant health 24 inequities or as having lived experiences with public health-related 25 programs such as: The special supplemental nutrition program for 26 women, infants, and children; the supplemental nutrition program; 27 home visiting; or treatment services. It is strongly encouraged that 28 individuals from historically marginalized and underrepresented 29 communities are given preference. These individuals may not be 30 elected officials and may not have any fiduciary obligation to a 31 health facility or other health agency, and may not have a material 32 financial interest in the rendering of health services; and33 (iii) Other community stakeholders. This category consists of 34 persons representing the following types of organizations located in 35 the county: 36 (A) Community-based organizations or nonprofits that work with 37 populations experiencing health inequities in the county;38 (B) Active, reserve, or retired armed services members;39 (C) The business community; or 40 p. 2 HB 1946 (D) The environmental public health regulated community.1 (b) The board members selected under (a) of this subsection must 2 be approved by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners.3 (c) If the number of board members selected under (a) of this 4 subsection is evenly divisible by three, there must be an equal 5 number of members selected from each of the three categories. If 6 there are one or two members over the nearest multiple of three, 7 those members may be selected from any of the three categories. 8 However, if the board of health demonstrates that it attempted to 9 recruit members from all three categories and was unable to do so, 10 the board may select members only from the other two categories.11 (d) There may be no more than one member selected under (a) of 12 this subsection from one type of background or position.13 (e) If a federally recognized Indian tribe holds reservation, 14 trust lands, or has usual and accustomed areas within the county, or 15 if a 501 (c)(3) organization registered in Washington that serves 16 American Indian and Alaska Native people and provides services within 17 the county, the board of health must include a tribal representative 18 ((selected by)) from each tribe and each organization and must notify 19 the American Indian health commission. 20 (f) The board of county commissioners may, at its discretion, 21 adopt an ordinance expanding the size and composition of the board of 22 health to include elected officials from cities and towns and persons 23 other than elected officials as members so long as the city and 24 county elected officials do not constitute a majority of the total 25 membership of the board. 26 (g) Except as provided in (a) and (e) of this subsection, an 27 ordinance adopted under this section shall include provisions for the 28 appointment, term, and compensation, or reimbursement of expenses.29 (h) The jurisdiction of the local board of health shall be 30 coextensive with the boundaries of the county. 31 (i) The local health officer, as described in RCW 70.05.050, 32 shall be appointed by the official designated under the provisions of 33 the county charter. The same official designated under the provisions 34 of the county charter may appoint an administrative officer, as 35 described in RCW 70.05.045. 36 (j) The number of members selected under (a) and (e) of this 37 subsection must equal the number of city and county elected officials 38 on the board of health. 39 p. 3 HB 1946 (k) At the first meeting of a district board of health the 1 members shall elect a chair to serve for a period of one year.2 (l) Any decision by the board of health related to the setting or 3 modification of permit, licensing, and application fees may only be 4 determined by the city and county elected officials on the board.5 (2) A local board of health comprised solely of elected officials 6 may retain this composition if the local health jurisdiction had a 7 public health advisory committee or board with its own bylaws 8 established on January 1, 2021. By January 1, 2022, the public health 9 advisory committee or board must meet the requirements established in 10 RCW 70.46.140 for community health advisory boards. Any future 11 changes to local board of health composition must meet the 12 requirements of subsection (1) of this section. 13 Sec. 2. RCW 70.05.035 and 2021 c 205 s 4 are each amended to 14 read as follows: 15 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, for 16 home rule charter counties, the county legislative authority shall 17 establish a local board of health and may prescribe the membership 18 and selection process for the board. The membership of the local 19 board of health must also include the members selected under (a) and 20 (e) of this subsection. 21 (a) The remaining board members must be persons who are not 22 elected officials and must be selected from the following categories 23 consistent with the requirements of this section and the rules 24 adopted by the state board of health under RCW 43.20.300:25 (i) Public health, health care facilities, and providers. This 26 category consists of persons practicing or employed in the county who 27 are: 28 (A) Medical ethicists; 29 (B) Epidemiologists; 30 (C) Experienced in environmental public health, such as a 31 registered sanitarian; 32 (D) Community health workers; 33 (E) Holders of master's degrees or higher in public health or the 34 equivalent; 35 (F) Employees of a hospital located in the county; or36 (G) Any of the following providers holding an active or retired 37 license in good standing under Title 18 RCW: 38 (I) Physicians or osteopathic physicians; 39 p. 4 HB 1946 (II) Advanced practice registered ((nurse practitioners)) nurses;1 (III) Physician assistants or osteopathic physician assistants;2 (IV) Registered nurses; 3 (V) Dentists; 4 (VI) Naturopaths; or 5 (VII) Pharmacists; 6 (ii) Consumers of public health. This category consists of county 7 residents who have self-identified as having faced significant health 8 inequities or as having lived experiences with public health-related 9 programs such as: The special supplemental nutrition program for 10 women, infants, and children; the supplemental nutrition program; 11 home visiting; or treatment services. It is strongly encouraged that 12 individuals from historically marginalized and underrepresented 13 communities are given preference. These individuals may not be 14 elected officials and may not have any fiduciary obligation to a 15 health facility or other health agency, and may not have a material 16 financial interest in the rendering of health services; and17 (iii) Other community stakeholders. This category consists of 18 persons representing the following types of organizations located in 19 the county: 20 (A) Community-based organizations or nonprofits that work with 21 populations experiencing health inequities in the county;22 (B) Active, reserve, or retired armed services members;23 (C) The business community; or 24 (D) The environmental public health regulated community.25 (b) The board members selected under (a) of this subsection must 26 be approved by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners.27 (c) If the number of board members selected under (a) of this 28 subsection is evenly divisible by three, there must be an equal 29 number of members selected from each of the three categories. If 30 there are one or two members over the nearest multiple of three, 31 those members may be selected from any of the three categories. 32 However, if the board of health demonstrates that it attempted to 33 recruit members from all three categories and was unable to do so, 34 the board may select members only from the other two categories.35 (d) There may be no more than one member selected under (a) of 36 this subsection from one type of background or position.37 (e) If a federally recognized Indian tribe holds reservation, 38 trust lands, or has usual and accustomed areas within the county, or 39 if a 501 (c)(3) organization registered in Washington that serves 40 p. 5 HB 1946 American Indian and Alaska Native people and provides services within 1 the county, the board of health must include a tribal representative 2 ((selected by)) from each tribe and each organization and must notify 3 the American Indian health commission. 4 (f) The county legislative authority may appoint to the board of 5 health elected officials from cities and towns and persons other than 6 elected officials as members so long as the city and county elected 7 officials do not constitute a majority of the total membership of the 8 board. 9 (g) Except as provided in (a) and (e) of this subsection, the 10 county legislative authority shall specify the appointment, term, and 11 compensation or reimbursement of expenses. 12 (h) The jurisdiction of the local board of health shall be 13 coextensive with the boundaries of the county. 14 (i) The local health officer, as described in RCW 70.05.050, 15 shall be appointed by the official designated under the provisions of 16 the county charter. The same official designated under the provisions 17 of the county charter may appoint an administrative officer, as 18 described in RCW 70.05.045. 19 (j) The number of members selected under (a) and (e) of this 20 subsection must equal the number of city and county elected officials 21 on the board of health. 22 (k) At the first meeting of a district board of health the 23 members shall elect a chair to serve for a period of one year.24 (l) Any decision by the board of health related to the setting or 25 modification of permit, licensing, and application fees may only be 26 determined by the city and county elected officials on the board.27 (2) A local board of health comprised solely of elected officials 28 may retain this composition if the local health jurisdiction had a 29 public health advisory committee or board with its own bylaws 30 established on January 1, 2021. By January 1, 2022, the public health 31 advisory committee or board must meet the requirements established in 32 RCW 70.46.140 for community health advisory boards. Any future 33 changes to local board of health composition must meet the 34 requirements of subsection (1) of this section. 35 Sec. 3. RCW 70.46.020 and 2021 c 205 s 5 are each amended to 36 read as follows: 37 (1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this 38 section, health districts consisting of two or more counties may be 39 p. 6 HB 1946 created whenever two or more boards of county commissioners shall by 1 resolution establish a district for such purpose. Such a district 2 shall consist of all the area of the combined counties. The district 3 board of health of such a district shall consist of not less than 4 five members for districts of two counties and seven members for 5 districts of more than two counties, including two representatives 6 from each county who are members of the board of county commissioners 7 and who are appointed by the board of county commissioners of each 8 county within the district, and members selected under (a) and (e) of 9 this subsection, and shall have a jurisdiction coextensive with the 10 combined boundaries. 11 (a) The remaining board members must be persons who are not 12 elected officials and must be selected from the following categories 13 consistent with the requirements of this section and the rules 14 adopted by the state board of health under RCW 43.20.300:15 (i) Public health, health care facilities, and providers. This 16 category consists of persons practicing or employed in the health 17 district who are: 18 (A) Medical ethicists; 19 (B) Epidemiologists; 20 (C) Experienced in environmental public health, such as a 21 registered sanitarian; 22 (D) Community health workers; 23 (E) Holders of master's degrees or higher in public health or the 24 equivalent; 25 (F) Employees of a hospital located in the health district; or26 (G) Any of the following providers holding an active or retired 27 license in good standing under Title 18 RCW: 28 (I) Physicians or osteopathic physicians; 29 (II) Advanced practice registered ((nurse practitioners)) nurses;30 (III) Physician assistants or osteopathic physician assistants;31 (IV) Registered nurses; 32 (V) Dentists; 33 (VI) Naturopaths; or 34 (VII) Pharmacists; 35 (ii) Consumers of public health. This category consists of health 36 district residents who have self-identified as having faced 37 significant health inequities or as having lived experiences with 38 public health-related programs such as: The special supplemental 39 nutrition program for women, infants, and children; the supplemental 40 p. 7 HB 1946 nutrition program; home visiting; or treatment services. It is 1 strongly encouraged that individuals from historically marginalized 2 and underrepresented communities are given preference. These 3 individuals may not be elected officials, and may not have any 4 fiduciary obligation to a health facility or other health agency, and 5 may not have a material financial interest in the rendering of health 6 services; and 7 (iii) Other community stakeholders. This category consists of 8 persons representing the following types of organizations located in 9 the health district: 10 (A) Community-based organizations or nonprofits that work with 11 populations experiencing health inequities in the health district;12 (B) Active, reserve, or retired armed services members;13 (C) The business community; or 14 (D) The environmental public health regulated community.15 (b) The board members selected under (a) of this subsection must 16 be approved by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners.17 (c) If the number of board members selected under (a) of this 18 subsection is evenly divisible by three, there must be an equal 19 number of members selected from each of the three categories. If 20 there are one or two members over the nearest multiple of three, 21 those members may be selected from any of the three categories. 22 However, if the board of health demonstrates that it attempted to 23 recruit members from all three categories and was unable to do so, 24 the board may select members only from the other two categories.25 (d) There may be no more than one member selected under (a) of 26 this subsection from one type of background or position.27 (e) If a federally recognized Indian tribe holds reservation, 28 trust lands, or has usual and accustomed areas within the health 29 district, or if a 501 (c)(3) organization registered in Washington 30 that serves American Indian and Alaska Native people and provides 31 services within the health district, the board of health must include 32 a tribal representative ((selected by )) from each tribe and each 33 organization and must notify the American Indian health commission.34 (f) The boards of county commissioners may by resolution or 35 ordinance provide for elected officials from cities and towns and 36 persons other than elected officials as members of the district board 37 of health so long as the city and county elected officials do not 38 constitute a majority of the total membership of the board.39 p. 8 HB 1946 (g) Except as provided in (a) and (e) of this subsection, a 1 resolution or ordinance adopted under this section must specify the 2 provisions for the appointment, term, and compensation, or 3 reimbursement of expenses. 4 (h) At the first meeting of a district board of health the 5 members shall elect a chair to serve for a period of one year.6 (i) The jurisdiction of the local board of health shall be 7 coextensive with the boundaries of the county. 8 (j) The local health officer, as described in RCW 70.05.050, 9 shall be appointed by the official designated under the provisions of 10 the county charter. The same official designated under the provisions 11 of the county charter may appoint an administrative officer, as 12 described in RCW 70.05.045. 13 (k) The number of members selected under (a) and (e) of this 14 subsection must equal the number of city and county elected officials 15 on the board of health. 16 (l) Any decision by the board of health related to the setting or 17 modification of permit, licensing, and application fees may only be 18 determined by the city and county elected officials on the board.19 (2) A local board of health comprised solely of elected officials 20 may retain this composition if the local health jurisdiction had a 21 public health advisory committee or board with its own bylaws 22 established on January 1, 2021. By January 1, 2022, the public health 23 advisory committee or board must meet the requirements established in 24 RCW 70.46.140 for community health advisory boards. Any future 25 changes to local board of health composition must meet the 26 requirements of subsection (1) of this section. 27 (3) A local board of health comprised solely of elected officials 28 and made up of three counties east of the Cascade mountains may 29 retain their current composition if the local health jurisdiction has 30 a public health advisory committee or board that meets the 31 requirements established in RCW 70.46.140 for community health 32 advisory boards by July 1, 2022. If such a local board of health does 33 not establish the required community health advisory board by July 1, 34 2022, it must comply with the requirements of subsection (1) of this 35 section. Any future changes to local board of health composition must 36 meet the requirements of subsection (1) of this section.37 Sec. 4. RCW 70.46.031 and 2021 c 205 s 6 are each amended to 38 read as follows: 39 p. 9 HB 1946 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a 1 health district to consist of one county may be created whenever the 2 county legislative authority of the county shall pass a resolution or 3 ordinance to organize such a health district under chapter 70.05 RCW 4 and this chapter. The resolution or ordinance may specify the 5 membership, representation on the district health board, or other 6 matters relative to the formation or operation of the health 7 district. In addition to the membership of the district health board 8 determined through resolution or ordinance, the district health board 9 must also include the members selected under (a) and (e) of this 10 subsection. 11 (a) The remaining board members must be persons who are not 12 elected officials and must be selected from the following categories 13 consistent with the requirements of this section and the rules 14 adopted by the state board of health under RCW 43.20.300:15 (i) Public health, health care facilities, and providers. This 16 category consists of persons practicing or employed in the county who 17 are: 18 (A) Medical ethicists; 19 (B) Epidemiologists; 20 (C) Experienced in environmental public health, such as a 21 registered sanitarian; 22 (D) Community health workers; 23 (E) Holders of master's degrees or higher in public health or the 24 equivalent; 25 (F) Employees of a hospital located in the county; or26 (G) Any of the following providers holding an active or retired 27 license in good standing under Title 18 RCW: 28 (I) Physicians or osteopathic physicians; 29 (II) Advanced practice registered ((nurse practitioners)) nurses;30 (III) Physician assistants or osteopathic physician assistants;31 (IV) Registered nurses; 32 (V) Dentists; 33 (VI) Naturopaths; or 34 (VII) Pharmacists; 35 (ii) Consumers of public health. This category consists of county 36 residents who have self-identified as having faced significant health 37 inequities or as having lived experiences with public health-related 38 programs such as: The special supplemental nutrition program for 39 women, infants, and children; the supplemental nutrition program; 40 p. 10 HB 1946 home visiting; or treatment services. It is strongly encouraged that 1 individuals from historically marginalized and underrepresented 2 communities are given preference. These individuals may not be 3 elected officials and may not have any fiduciary obligation to a 4 health facility or other health agency, and may not have a material 5 financial interest in the rendering of health services; and6 (iii) Other community stakeholders. This category consists of 7 persons representing the following types of organizations located in 8 the county: 9 (A) Community-based organizations or nonprofits that work with 10 populations experiencing health inequities in the county;11 (B) The business community; or 12 (C) The environmental public health regulated community.13 (b) The board members selected under (a) of this subsection must 14 be approved by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners.15 (c) If the number of board members selected under (a) of this 16 subsection is evenly divisible by three, there must be an equal 17 number of members selected from each of the three categories. If 18 there are one or two members over the nearest multiple of three, 19 those members may be selected from any of the three categories. If 20 there are two members over the nearest multiple of three, each member 21 over the nearest multiple of three must be selected from a different 22 category. However, if the board of health demonstrates that it 23 attempted to recruit members from all three categories and was unable 24 to do so, the board may select members only from the other two 25 categories. 26 (d) There may be no more than one member selected under (a) of 27 this subsection from one type of background or position.28 (e) If a federally recognized Indian tribe holds reservation, 29 trust lands, or has usual and accustomed areas within the county, or 30 if a 501 (c)(3) organization registered in Washington that serves 31 American Indian and Alaska Native people and provides services within 32 the county, the board of health must include a tribal representative 33 ((selected by)) from each tribe and each organization and must notify 34 the American Indian health commission. 35 (f) The county legislative authority may appoint elected 36 officials from cities and towns and persons other than elected 37 officials as members of the health district board so long as the city 38 and county elected officials do not constitute a majority of the 39 total membership of the board. 40 p. 11 HB 1946 (g) Except as provided in (a) and (e) of this subsection, a 1 resolution or ordinance adopted under this section must specify the 2 provisions for the appointment, term, and compensation, or 3 reimbursement of expenses. 4 (h) The jurisdiction of the local board of health shall be 5 coextensive with the boundaries of the county. 6 (i) The local health officer, as described in RCW 70.05.050, 7 shall be appointed by the official designated under the provisions of 8 the resolution or ordinance. The same official designated under the 9 provisions of the resolution or ordinance may appoint an 10 administrative officer, as described in RCW 70.05.045.11 (j) At the first meeting of a district board of health the 12 members shall elect a chair to serve for a period of one year.13 (k) The number of members selected under (a) and (e) of this 14 subsection must equal the number of city and county elected officials 15 on the board of health. 16 (l) Any decision by the board of health related to the setting or 17 modification of permit, licensing, and application fees may only be 18 determined by the city and county elected officials on the board.19 (2) A local board of health comprised solely of elected officials 20 may retain this composition if the local health jurisdiction had a 21 public health advisory committee or board with its own bylaws 22 established on January 1, 2021. By January 1, 2022, the public health 23 advisory committee or board must meet the requirements established in 24 RCW 70.46.140 for community health advisory boards. Any future 25 changes to local board of health composition must meet the 26 requirements of subsection (1) of this section. 27 --- END --- p. 12 HB 1946