Amendment ID: S2622-18-R1

Redraft Amendment 18

Vaccine Awareness and Education Grant Program

Ms. Chang-Diaz, Ms. Comerford, Ms. Moran, Ms. Lovely, Mr. Gomez, Ms. Chandler, Messrs. Feeney, Cyr, Hinds and Montigny, Ms. Jehlen, Messrs. Crighton, Collins, Pacheco, O'Connor, DiDomenico and Eldridge move that the proposed new text be amended in section 2A, in item 1599-0080, by inserting after the words “vaccine delivery”, in line 35, the following words:- “; provided further, that funds shall be made available to the department of public health  to provide, in consultation with the Massachusetts cultural council, a grant program for arts organizations, culture creators, influencers, and local cultural organizations to promote vaccine awareness, education, and adoption in an effort to increase vaccination rates; provided further, that the program shall prioritize grant applicants with demonstrated connections to, understanding of, penetration in, and credibility in communities with low vaccination rates and that focus on and represent culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse communities; provided further that funds shall be made available for the staffing and administration of the program;  provided further, that not later than March 15, 2022, the department shall provide a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on the status of the grant program including, but not limited to: (a) grant criteria used in evaluating applicants; (b) the number of applications received; (c) the number of successful applicants to date; (d) the communities in which successful applicants are focused; and (e) the grant award amounts to date by applicant;”.