State Health Commissioner; local health directors, qualifications.

State Health Commissioner; local health director; additional degrees; variance. Requires that, in addition toexisting qualifications, the State Health Commissioner possess aDoctor of Public Health degree, a Master of Public Health degree,or a doctorate in the area of public health. The bill allows localhealth directors to possess a Doctor of Public Health degree, a Masterof Public Health degree, or a doctorate in the area of public healthas an alternative to the current requirement that each local health director be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth. The bill states that the Commissioner may grant a variance to a statelaw or regulation of the State Board of Health when the Commissionerdetermines that, upon review of an application from a county, cityor town, the applicant for such variance has demonstrated that theimplementation of a regulation would impose a substantial financialor programmatic hardship and the variance would not adversely affectthe safety and well-being of residents of the county, city, or townor the Commonwealth.