by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Saying the timing couldn't be more perfect, Governor Eddie Calvo signed Bill 137 into law today, which adopts new rules and regulations for the Department of Public Health's sanitary permits. The island's chief executive stressed the importance of having set rules and regulations in terms of food handling and sanitation of facilities that prepare food.

Public Health Director Jim Gillan says the measure will allow the department to recover the costs for conducting inspections at thousands of establishments and locations around the island. "By June 2012 we'll be able to generate an additional $400,000 to put into the Environmental Health Fund which will help us take some pressure off the General Fund and allow us to make some improvements to our staffing and equipment," he said.

The new law also gives public health until June of 2012 to get various fees surrounding the sanitary permits in place.