HB 393 Summary

• Revises the definition of "public bathing place" to include fresh water, salt water, and brackish water bodies used for swimming and recreational bathing with owner consent.

• Changes the Department of Health's authority from discretionary ("may") to mandatory ("shall") to adopt and enforce rules protecting public bathing places and to issue health advisories when water quality fails to meet standards.

• Requires the Department of Health to notify municipalities or counties when issuing health advisories based on elevated bacteria levels (fecal coliform, E. coli, or enterococci) in public bathing places within their jurisdiction.

• Mandates municipalities and counties post conspicuous warning signs at affected public bathing places with specific language required by the bill, and maintain signage until subsequent testing shows bacteria levels meet state standards again.

• Authorizes the Department of Health to post and maintain required signage itself if a public bathing place is outside municipal or county jurisdiction, and permits coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for implementation.

• Effective date: July 1, 2022.