SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services, in consultation with appropriate state agencies and relevant public stakeholders, shall develop and implement a mandatory infection control training program for all new and incumbent personal care attendants, as defined in section 70 of said chapter 118E, and all individual employees of home care agencies who provide home care services to a consumer in the consumer’s residence.

For purposes of this act, a home care agency shall be an entity or organization, however organized and whether conducted for profit or not for profit, that is owned, operated, maintained or advertised for the purpose of providing home care services in residential settings for compensation, provided, however, that home care agency shall not include an entity operated by either the federal government or the commonwealth providing home care services; an entity that limits its business exclusively to the provision of house cleaning services; an aging service access points or ASAP entity as defined in section 4B of chapter 19A; a hospice program licensed under section 57D of chapter 111; or an adult foster care program regulated under 130 CMR 408.

(b) The executive office shall establish contracts with labor-management training funds, community colleges, and other entities capable of conducting the training program and shall ensure the training program is implemented in a manner that is coordinated with the work of other state agencies and public and private entities involved in health care workforce training, recruitment, and retention.

SECTION 2. The executive office of health and human services shall establish the mandatory infection control and public health training program as outlined above no later than 180 days from passage of this Act.