Stockpile For Declared Disaster Emergencies

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 , primary care providers, 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.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)