Bill > A4576

Introduced Session

The bill requires the Department of Health (department), in consultation with the State of Emergency Management, to revise the department's Pandemic Influenza Plan, or its successor plan. The bill requires the department to revise the plan to: (1) expand the scope of the emergencies anticipated by the plan to cover long-running and large-scale pandemic influenzas; (2) address each capability as outlined in the most recent United States Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health, or such successor guidance as may be promulgated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (3) outline the specific roles, succession plans, decision rights, and operational responsibilities of each State agency during a public health emergency involving a pandemic influenza; (4) outline the department's approach to coordinating each element of a pandemic influenza emergency response with local health departments in New Jersey; (5) establish or identify crisis standards of care to guide the healthcare response to pandemic influenzas in the State; and (6) incorporate strategies to address any health equity gaps related to pandemic influenzas, including any gaps that were identified during the COVID-19 pandemic. In revising the plan pursuant to the bill, the department will solicit input from the Governor's Office, local health departments, and other key public health stakeholders as determined by the department. The plan will be subject to regular review by the department and the State Office of Emergency Management and will be updated on a regular basis as may be appropriate. The plan will be utilized by the department and the State Office of Emergency Management to design regular emergency response training exercises related to pandemic influenzas.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Cody Miller (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Dan Hutchison (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D), 

Reported and Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee (on 09/23/2024)

Official Document