October 5, 1999
Public meetings scheduled for temporary worker housing and cherry harvest camp rules
TUMWATER -- The departments of Health and of Labor & Industries will hold an informational public meeting Oct. 15 in Ellensburg to present and review draft rules for the licensing, operation and inspection of temporary worker housing.
The draft rules, developed jointly by the two agencies at the direction of the Legislature, establish minimum safety and health requirements for growers who provide housing for their workers. A separate rule spells out requirements for cherry harvest camps.
The meetings will be held at 1 p.m. in the Samuelson Union Building (SUB), Room 8 at Central Washington University. Parking is very limited and in some locations there is a charge. The public is invited to attend and comment.
This meeting will include an orientation to the draft rule, followed by informal discussion. After proposed rules are filed, a formal public hearing will be held in late November for on-the-record comments and testimony. If the rules proceed as scheduled, they would be adopted in early March 2000 and take effect in the 2000 growing season.
The time, date and place of the public hearing will be announced at a later date.
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