Bill Text: CA AB93 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Pandemic response practices.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB93 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB93-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
January 04, 2022 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 25, 2021 |
Introduced by Assembly Members Eduardo Garcia and Robert Rivas (Coauthor: Assembly Member Carrillo) (Coauthor: Senator Hurtado) |
December 07, 2020 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, under the direction of the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, which includes, among other departments, the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law establishes various programs for the prevention and control of communicable diseases, including programs that provide for the testing for, notifications of exposure to, and tracking by the state of, communicable diseases.
This bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of issues related to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, among others, whether local public health departments were sufficiently staffed and funded to handle specified pandemic-related responsibilities, and what
specific measures of accountability the state applied to monitor and confirm that local public health departments were following state directives related to any dedicated COVID-19 funds allocated to counties. The bill would require the office to report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the health committees of the Legislature by June 30, 2022.
The bill would require the state to include community health centers as a part of its organizational pandemic response structure, and would require community health centers, including federally qualified health centers, to serve as points of contact at the local and regional level, in the same manner as local health departments. The bill would require the state to establish a supply chain of medical supplies and equipment necessary to address the level of need established by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would authorize the state to provide economic incentives to help relocate manufacturers of medical supplies, as
required to address a pandemic or public health crisis.
The bill would require the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Health Care Services to develop a statewide, comprehensive plan to provide an outreach and education campaign for implementation during a viral pandemic or health care emergency. The bill would require the campaign to focus on those communities in each county with the highest rates of health disparities. The bill would require the education and outreach campaign materials to be culturally sensitive to populations that experienced a high rate of health disparities that contributed to greater susceptibility to COVID-19.
The bill would establish initial priority tiers of priority populations for rapid testing and vaccination during a pandemic. Tier I would include health care workers and first responders and Tier II would include education and childcare workers and food workers, as
defined. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to adopt and enforce all regulations necessary to implement these provisions and provide technical assistance to local health departments. The bill would specify that these provisions do not preclude the department from taking any action within the scope of its authority to address immediate circumstances relative to the pandemic, as specified.
The bill would specify that it would be implemented to the extent permitted by federal law, and would declare that its provisions are severable. The bill would make findings and declarations relating to California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a)The Legislative Analyst’s Office shall conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of issues related to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1)Whether local public health departments were sufficiently staffed and funded to handle all responsibilities they were entrusted to perform related to the pandemic.
(2)Whether local public health departments incorporated local hospitals and community health centers in their plans for dealing with the full array of responsibilities they were assigned, including the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), COVID-19 testing supplies, selection of testing sites, and
outreach, and education to the general population, particularly communities with high health disparities.
(3)Whether the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Health Care Services, or county health departments reached out to community health centers and communities identified as having health disparities and high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, to build partnerships in providing PPE, testing supplies, and organized outreach and education campaigns to most impacted communities.
(4)Whether the state consulted with relevant federal government agencies or representatives of community health centers regarding involvement of federally funded community health centers in pandemic activities as first responders.
(5)The specific measures of accountability the state applied to monitor and confirm
that local public health departments were following state directives related to any dedicated COVID-19 funds allocated to counties, distributing supplies to health care providers in their jurisdictions, improving services, and providing outreach to the most impacted communities.
(6)Why the state did not take a leadership role in creating a supply chain of PPE and other related medical equipment to local public health departments, how quickly and effectively local public health departments were able to develop their supply chains, and whether the state’s decision resulted in any negative consequences for local public health departments dealing with the pandemic.
(7)How the state developed its process for establishing priorities for vaccinating California residents, including the policy and operational issues considered, and the steps taken to respond to the needs of communities
with a high rate of health disparities and a disproportionate number of positive cases and deaths.
(b)(1)The office shall commence the review by January 31, 2022, and provide a final report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the health committees of both houses of the Legislature by June 30, 2022.
(2)A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(a)During a viral pandemic or similar health care emergency, the state shall include multiple community health centers as a part of its organizational response structure. Community health centers, including federally qualified health centers, shall serve as points of contact for the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Health Care Services at the local and regional level, as appropriate, in the same manner as local health departments.
(b)The state shall provide for an ongoing supply chain of medical supplies and equipment necessary to address the level of need established by the COVID-19 pandemic. Inventory of this supply shall be conducted every other year, beginning two years after the supply levels are
initially established. For purposes of this subdivision, the state may provide economic incentives to help relocate manufacturers of medical supplies, as required to address a public health crisis.
(a)The State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Health Care Services shall collaborate to develop a statewide, comprehensive plan to conduct an outreach and education campaign for implementation during a viral pandemic or health care emergency. The campaign shall continue for at least three fiscal years.
(b)The campaign shall focus on those communities in each county with the highest rates of health disparities, and shall include outreach and education materials in the non-English languages prevalent in each county. Materials shall be culturally sensitive to populations that experienced a high rate of health disparities that contributed to greater susceptibility to COVID-19.
(c)The campaign shall provide communities with a high rate of health disparities with information addressing issues, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1)The health and economic consequences of health disparities.
(2)Initiatives those communities can undertake to combat and change disparity trends.
(3)Eating habits that contribute to health disparities.
(4)The effect of housing overcrowding and low wages on health disparities.
(d)Funds shall be allocated for the outreach and education campaign subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
(a)In order to maximize protection of the public, priority tiers for rapid testing and vaccination during a pandemic shall be determined in accordance with this section.
(b)(1)Tier I priority shall include the following populations:
(A)Health care workers.
(B)First responders.
(2)Tier II priority shall include the following populations:
(A)Education and childcare workers.
(B)Food supply
workers. For purposes of this section, “food supply worker” includes both of the following:
(i)Workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, and other retail locations that sell food or beverage products. The department shall, by regulation, create subcategories within this group, based on frequency and level of food contact.
(ii)Farm and ranch workers, support service workers, and their supplier employees producing food supply domestically and for export to include those engaged in raising, cultivating, harvesting, packing, storing, or delivering to storage or to market or to a carrier for transportation to market any agricultural or horticultural commodity for human consumption .
(c)(1)The State Department of Public Health shall adopt and enforce all regulations necessary to
implement this section, and provide technical assistance to local health departments as needed.
(2)This section does not preclude the department from taking any action within the scope of its authority to address immediate circumstances relative to the pandemic, including, but not limited to, vaccine availability.
(a)This part shall be implemented to the extent permitted by federal law.
(b)The provisions of this part are severable. If any provision of this part or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.