| Summary |
Section 1 of the bill requires the division of homeland security and
emergency management in the department of public safety (division) to
procure and maintain a stockpile of essential materials that are available
for distribution after the governor has a declared a disaster emergency.
The division shall attempt to ensure that, in the event of a national public
health emergency, the stockpile has a sufficient supply of personal
protective equipment to bridge the gap until the national supply chain can
increase production to meet the demand for such items.
The division, in consultation with the department of public health
and environment, may distribute the essential materials to state agencies,
schools, local public health agencies, hospitals or other health-care
providers, or to any other individual or entity that the director of the
division determines is in need as a result of the disaster emergency. The
division may contract with a third-party entity to administer the stockpile.
In order to ensure that the essential materials in the stockpile are
rotated prior to the applicable expiration date, state agencies shall, to the
extent possible, procure essential materials from the division. In addition,
the division may donate or sell essential materials as necessary to avoid
having stock that is past its expiration date. Any proceeds from the sale
of the essential materials are credited to the newly created emergency
stockpile rotation cash fund. The money in the cash fund is continuously
appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the division for
the purpose of administering the stockpile.
The division is authorized to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants,
or donations from private or public sources, including from the federal
government, for the purposes described in the bill. The bill authorizes the
general assembly to appropriate money from the general fund and, for
stockpile-related expenditures that are made prior to December 31, 2024,
from the revenue loss restoration cash fund.
Under current law, the state board of health has the authority to
adopt rules and to establish standards to assure that hospitals; other acute
care facilities; county, district, and municipal public health agencies; and
trauma centers are prepared for an emergency epidemic that is declared
to be a disaster emergency. Section 2 specifies that, under this authority,
the board may adopt rules or establish standards for the maintenance of
an adequate stockpile of personal protective equipment for infection
control and staff proficiency in using the personal protective equipment.
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