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supervisors who have had extensive training 

 in public health work and who possess a great 

 deal of expertise in laboratory work. If the 

 Laboratory Division were to be relocated, 

 some of these professionals may resign their 

 positions. 



The basic questions surrovinding the proposal appear to be: 



1. Should laboratory analytical services be separate 

 and apart from the regulatory and enforcement 

 officials who must act on the basis of information 

 generated in the laboratory? 



2. Does the Montana University System possess the 

 expertise and other resources required to comple- 

 ment the goals and objectives of the Laboratory 

 Division of the Department of Health and Environ- 

 mental Sciences? 



3. If one answers questions 1 and 2 in the affirmative, 

 would the benefits of the arrangement outweigh the 

 loss of inter-agency communication inherent in iso- 

 lating one division of a state department? 



After having examined evidence presented both for and against the 

 proposal, the Council concludes that the placement of the Labora- 

 tory Division of the Department of Health and Environmental Sci- 

 ences in a university setting is the better long-term solution to 

 providing versatile, efficient support to medical and health- 

 oriented state activities. The Council respects the concern of 

 department administrators as to possible short-rxin disadvantages 

 of the relocation on other department programs; however, it is 

 the Council's opinion that the arrangement will eventually afford 

 the department more flexibility and efficiency in fulfilling 

 their statutory responsibilities. 



The Legislative Council reaommends that the Laboratory 

 Division of the Department of Health and Environmental 

 Saienaes he relocated on the campus of one of the units 

 of the Montana University System. 



That if such a relocation is effected, the Criminal 

 Investigation Laboratory be integrated into any new 

 facility acquired to house the Laboratory Division. 



MISCELLANEOUS STATE AGENCY LABORATORIES 



10. Materials Testing Division - State Highway Department 



The Materials Testing Division of the State Highway Department is 

 the largest state-operated laboratory, both in terms of physical 



