Minnesota Agencies

The advisory panel shall make recommendations to the Commissioner of Health and the legislature on priorities for environmental health tracking and biomonitoring. These include recommendations to study specific chronic diseases, environmental health exposures, chemicals, communities and geographical areas. Make recommendations on aspects of the design, implementation, and evaluation for the environmental health tracking and biomonitoring system.

Legislation in 2007 directed the MDH to convene an expert Advisory Panel to advise the department on both tracking and biomonitoring activities.

The Environmental Health Tracking and Biomonitoring Advisory Panel was reviewed by the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy (LCPFP) in 2013 as part of their biennial duty required by Minn. Stat. 3.885 Subd. 11. The LCPFP's 2013 Recommendations called for keeping the advisory panel and 2014 Minn. Laws Chap. 286 Art. 7 Sec. 13 clarified the continued existence of the group.

The committee shall have 13 members; specifications and restrictions for each are detailed in M.S. 144.998. The commissioner of Health shall appoint 9 members, the commissioners of the Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Agriculture shall each appoint one (1) member, and the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader shall each appoint one (1) member. None of the members may be lobbyists registered under chapter 10A. As specified, a particular subset of 10 of the 13 members must have backgrounds or training in designing, implementing, and interpreting health tracking and biomonitoring studies or in related fields of science, including epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, laboratory sciences, occupational health, industrial hygiene, toxicology, and public health.