A bill to overhaul the current public health system has advanced out of the House and heads to the Senate. HB 1152 passed the House on 56-41 vote and picked up several amendments along the way.
The purpose of the bill is to restructure oversight of current health districts and provide state supervision of local health officials. With adopted amendments, the bill now:
- Establishes four regional comprehensive public health district centers to coordinate shared public health services across local health jurisdictions and the State.
- Requires the Department of Health (DOH) to convene a Foundational Public Health Services Steering Committee to define the roles and duties of the regional comprehensive public health district centers.
- Establishes the Public Health Advisory Board within the DOH.
- Requires the Foundational Public Health Services Steering Committee to identify and develop foundational public health services funding recommendations that promote new service delivery models, which the Public Health Advisory Board is authorized
to approve.
- Modifies the requirements for including non-elected members to local boards of health and requires the state advisory board to adopt rules establishing an appointment process for members of the local boards of health who are not elected.
- Creates the position of foundational public health services regional coordinator within each regional comprehensive public health district center.
- Modifies the position of regional health officer by reducing the number of officers from six to four, establishing duties for the officer to work in partnership with the governmental public health system and provide support to local health officers.
- Requires the governmental public health system to annually report on the distribution and uses of foundational public health services funding.
- Requires 65% of funds appropriated for foundational public health services above $30 million per biennia to be allocated to shared services, unless the appropriations act specifies differently.
- Requires a party terminating an agreement to operate a city or county health department or multicounty health district to provide 12 months of notice, an opportunity for public comment, and to participate in a good faith mediation process.
- Modifies the contingent null and void clause, so that the sections related to the regional comprehensive public health district centers are null and void if at least $60 million for the purposes of the comprehensive public health district centers is not appropriated in the 2021-2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
While the amendments address several of AWC’s reservations about the initial bill, we are still concerned about the timing of the measure. An overhaul of the public health system during a pandemic will create significant impacts for existing regional
health programs. Nevertheless, AWC recognizes the serious challenges facing our public health system and we remain engaged in discussions about HB 1152.
The bill currently awaits further consideration in the Senate.