HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2789        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1147

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Mindy Domb

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act promoting health equity.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Mindy Domb

3rd Hampshire

1/17/2019

Tami L. Gouveia

14th Middlesex

1/23/2019

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Liz Miranda

5th Suffolk

2/1/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2789        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1147

By Ms. Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1147) of Mindy Domb and others relative to the preparation and availability of health disparities/equity impact statements.  Health Care Financing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act promoting health equity.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 16AA of chapter 6A of the General Laws, as inserted by section 7 of chapter 154 of the Acts of 2018, is hereby amended by adding after subsection (f) the following subsection:-

(g) The secretary of health and human services shall annually, on the day assigned for submission of the budget by the governor to the general court pursuant to section 7H of chapter 29, designate major initiatives of the commonwealth affecting the health and health care of residents of the commonwealth. The initiatives may include any activity of the commonwealth including, but not limited to, activities of the executive office of health and human services, the executive office of housing and economic development, the executive office of public safety and security, the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the executive office of labor and workforce development and the executive office of education.

For each major initiative, the office shall prepare a health disparities/equity impact statement evaluating the likely positive or negative impact of each initiative on eliminating or reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. The statements shall, to the extent possible, include quantifiable impacts and evaluation benchmarks. The statements shall be posted on the official internet site of the executive office of health and human services and submitted to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, members of the health disparities council, the joint committees on public health and health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and means.