HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3710        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 739

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jon Santiago

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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 increasing diagnostic testing preparedness.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3710        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 739

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act increasing diagnostic testing preparedness.

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

SECTION XX.  There shall be a special legislative Diagnostic Testing Preparedness commission established pursuant to section 2A of chapter 4 of the General Laws to study the public and private diagnostic testing infrastructure in the commonwealth and to make recommendations to increase preparedness for future pandemics, epidemics and emerging pathogens.

To assist the commission in carrying out its review, the commissioner of public health and the executive director of the center for health information and analysis each shall provide to the commission any data and information the commission considers relevant to its charge.

The commission shall include the following members: the commissioner of public health, or a designee, who shall serve as chair; the chairs of the joint committee on Covid-19 and emergency preparedness and management; the chairs of the joint committee on public health; the minority leader of the house of representatives, or a house member designee; the minority leader of the senate, or a senate member designee; and the following members who shall be appointed by the commissioner of public health: a representative of a community hospital laboratory; a representative of a university laboratory; a representative of a rural hospital laboratory; representative of a large reference laboratory; a representative of an in vitro diagnostics manufacturer; a representative of a physician office clinic; a licensed physician who specializes in infectious diseases; a clinical pharmacist; a licensed primary care physician; an emergency room physician; an emergency medical technician; a representative of a long term care facility; a representative of a home health agency; and, any other member who has specialized knowledge or experience that would be valuable to the commission.

The commission shall review the ability of the commonwealth’s public and private diagnostic infrastructure to meet the testing demands throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and shall recommend a strategic plan to prepare the commonwealth’s diagnostic testing infrastructure and capacity to improve the commonwealth’s preparedness to meet diagnostic, screening and surveillance needs for existing infectious diseases, emerging pathogens, and future epidemics and pandemics. In developing the strategic plan, the commission shall: (i) prepare an inventory of all existing laboratory testing assets in the commonwealth including public health, hospital, physician office, and reference laboratories; (ii) identify laboratory testing assets that could be used as surge capacity during an epidemic or pandemic, such as those found in universities, industry, blood banks, or clinical research entities; (iii) identify access barriers to testing and provide recommendations to address them, especially for our most vulnerable populations; and, (iv) develop a plan to establish a reserve of diagnostic testing supplies, reagents and equipment to increase the commonwealth’s preparedness for infectious disease testing during an epidemic, pandemic, or other public health emergency, which should consider state-held stockpiles, vendor-managed reserve inventories, and other innovative public-private partnerships and shall include recommendations regarding the operation, purchase, storage, maintenance and distribution of said stockpile and any funding required to establish such a reserve.

The special commission shall submit a report of its findings and any recommendations by filing its report with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on Covid-19 and emergency preparedness and management and the joint committee on public health, not later than February 1, 2023. The first meeting of the commission shall be not later than July 1, 2022.