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Committee endorses commission to study infectious disease response; removes mandatory PPE stockpile from bill
Summary
Lawmakers adopted an amendment to House Bill 12 02 that removes a requirement for the Commonwealth to maintain a PPE stockpile and instead creates an infectious disease advisory commission to study feasibility and issue a report within 24 months.
HARRISBURG — The House Health Committee reported House Bill 12 02 as amended after adopting a change that removes a statutory mandate to create and maintain a PPE stockpile and instead establishes an infectious disease advisory commission to evaluate preparedness for long-term care facilities.
Staff member Mike summarized Amendment A02202, saying it "would remove the requirement that the Commonwealth create and maintain a PPE stockpile" and would create a commission charged with issuing a report within 24 months on the feasibility of a stockpile and recommendations for coordination with counties and other agencies. Mike said the commission would include legislative and gubernatorial appointees and stakeholder experts and that the report would be updated as needed and at least once every seven years.
Sponsor Representative Zimmerman described the amendment as the product of months of negotiation with both chairs' offices and the Department of Health and argued the change focuses the bill on proactive planning for long-term care facilities. "This newly created infectious disease advisory commission will be responsible for examining and analyzing the practices, processes, and procedures related to prevention of and the response to infectious diseases in facilities," Zimmerman said.
Representative Khan, speaking from personal experience as a nurse who faced PPE shortages, urged support and said the commission could provide a venue to ensure nursing input at high levels of planning. Committee members praised bipartisan collaboration; the amendment was adopted with no recorded opposition and the bill was reported as amended unanimously.
Under the amendment, the commission must issue its initial report within 24 months and may update the report thereafter, but at least every seven years. The committee did not specify implementation funding or a precise floor schedule for the bill.
The measure now goes to the full House for consideration.
