In what looks to correct an obvious conflict of interest and kind of hard to believe it’s been allowed this long, House Bill 617, Limit Outside Work For DENR/Local Staff, imposes employment limitations for state or local employees who are authorized to enforce agency rules. Under this bill they  can no longer evaluate, consult or perform other work for wastewater sites or any wastewater systems regulated by the agency rules that they enforce. Applies to soil scientists, water pollution control system operators, wastewater contractors or professional engineers who regulate wastewater systems and apparently have been moonlighting to provide services to those systems. Makes one ask how many other rule enforcing DENR employees (or other government employees for that matter) may be moonlighting as consultants or providing maintenance services to entities they regulate during the day. Anyway, this bill seems to prevent those conflicts of interest in the wastewater world …bill passes 115-2 and goes over to the Senate now.