SENATE, No. 1654

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 28, 1996

 

 

By Senators SINAGRA and EWING

 

 

An Act authorizing the Public Health Council to regulate tattoo parlors and amending P.L.1947, c.177.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Section 7 of P.L.1947, c.177 (C.26:1A-7) is amended to read as follows:

    7. The Public Health Council shall have power, by the affirmative vote of a majority of all its members, to establish, and from time to time amend and repeal, such reasonable sanitary regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this act or the provisions of any other law of this State as may be necessary properly to preserve and improve the public health in this State. The regulations so established shall be called the State Sanitary Code.

    The State Sanitary Code may cover any subject affecting public health, or the preservation and improvement of public health and the prevention of disease in the State of New Jersey, including the immunization against disease of all school children in the State of New Jersey. In addition thereto, and not in limitation thereof, said State Sanitary Code may contain sanitary regulations: (a) prohibiting nuisances hazardous to human health; (b) (deleted by amendment; P.L.1977, c.224) (c) regulating the use of privies and cesspools; (d) regulating the disposition of excremental matter; (e) regulating the control of fly and mosquito breeding places; (f) regulating the detection, reporting, prevention and control of communicable and preventable diseases; (g) regulating the conduct of public funerals; (h) regulating the conduct of boarding homes for children; (i) regulating the conduct of maternity homes and the care of maternity and infant patients therein; (j) regulating the conduct of camps; (k) (deleted by amendment; P.L.1987, c.302) (l) regulating the preparation, handling, transportation, burial or other disposal, disinterment and reburial of dead human bodies; [and] (m) prescribing standards of cleanliness for public eating rooms and restaurants; and (n) regulating the conduct of tattoo parlors.

    Prior to the final adoption by the council of any sanitary regulation or amendment thereto or repealer thereof the council shall hold a public hearing thereon. The council shall cause to be published, at least once, not less than 15 days prior to such hearing, in each of the counties of the State in a newspaper published in each of said counties, or if no newspaper be published in any such county, then in a newspaper circulated in such county, a notice of such hearing, specifying the time when and the place where such hearing will be held, together with a brief summary of the proposed regulation, amendment or repealer and a statement that copies of the text thereof may be obtained from the State Commissioner of Health or from the board of health of any municipality in the State. The State Department of Health shall prepare and make available on request therefor, copies of the text of such proposed regulations and changes therein in the manner described in such public notice.

(cf: P.L.1987, c.302, s.1)

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill authorizes the Public Health Council to regulate sanitary conditions in tattoo parlors.

    The incidence of reported acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases has reached alarming proportions, with New Jersey ranking fifth in the nation in the number of reported cases. It is the purpose of this bill to strengthen efforts to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases, including HIV (the virus that is believed to cause AIDS) and hepatitis, which may be transmitted during the tattooing procedure.

 

Authorizes the Public Health Council to regulate sanitary conditions in tattoo parlors.