Bill 709.

Summary.

The bill establishes a salary scale for food science and technology professionals working in public institutions, autonomous and semiautonomous entities, municipalities, and organizations that provide services to the State. It proposes occupational profiles based on the duties set out in Law 46 of June 24, 2015. It defines categories by years of service, levels by academic qualifications, and the salary scale and index by administrative and academic posts. It also defines food, technology, supervisory posts and occupational profiles, and sets out principles governing the scale.

The text recognizes these professionals as health personnel and assigns them, for operational purposes, to the Food Control and Veterinary Surveillance Directorate (Dirección de Control de Alimentos y Vigilancia Veterinaria). It assigns the Organization and Institutional Development Office (Oficina de Organización y Desarrollo Institucional) responsibility for regulating their duties and operations, and establishes the Food Science and Technology Department (Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos) within that Directorate. The scale comprises university technician, bachelor’s degree, postgraduate or specialist, master’s degree, and doctoral levels. It also provides for initial department, institutional, regional and national supervisory posts. The technician level requires a university technician diploma following three (3) or more years of study and a professional license issued by the Technical Health Council (Consejo Técnico de Salud). The bachelor’s level covers the specified degrees and licenses issued by that Council or the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture (Junta Técnica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura), according to the profession. Occupational profiles follow Law 46 of June 24, 2015 and the employing institution’s needs.

The postgraduate, master’s and doctoral levels require the relevant degree, authorization to practice at that level issued by the Technical Public Health Council (Consejo Técnico de Salud Pública), and application of the qualification in the professional’s field or work area. For reclassification, the Food Science and Technology Committee (Comité de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos) issues a certificate of professional association membership and approval of the degree. The Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) and the professional association review the salary scale every three years, considering the post’s responsibilities, academic level, cost of living and years of service; agreed improvements take effect through a resolution. Categories use as a reference the agreement of October 13, 2015 between the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Fund (Caja de Seguro Social) and the National Coordinating Body of Professional and Technical Health Associations, its addenda or a superseding agreement.

Each supervisory post requires 5 years of service at its specified academic levels, along with knowledge and experience; the initial department, institutional and national posts also require academic competence. Professionals already holding a supervisory post when the proposed law takes effect are counted as holding an initial supervisory post. The Food Science and Technology Committee and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas) agree on the salary scale. Vacant supervisory posts are filled through competitions. The Ministry of Health, through the Food Sciences and Technologies Committee (Comité de Ciencias y Tecnologías de Alimentos), regulates evaluations of applicants registered with its Food Control and Safety Subdirectorate (Subdirección de Control e Inocuidad de Alimentos).

The bill adds provisions to Law 46 of June 24, 2015 to recognize graduates in related disciplines whose curricula include specified food-related training and who obtain an advanced degree in a listed specialty. It adjusts the qualifications for professional licensure and requires academic transcripts for the advanced degree so that the Food Science and Technology Committee (Comité de la Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos) can verify the required coursework. Professionals who already hold such a degree have twelve (12) months from commencement to apply for licensure before the Technical Health Council or the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture, according to their initial qualification.

It designates June 7 as the profession’s national day, linked to Resolution 73/250 of the United Nations General Assembly (Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas). It provides for recognition events and food safety activities coordinated by the Ministry of Health and state universities, allows businesses and organizations to participate, and requires the media to publicize the activities. It provides for commencement on the day following promulgation. The provisions could concern public health bodies and public employers, universities, professionals, food businesses, social organizations and media outlets.