A3962

An Act concerning annual training for health officers on public health emergencies and public health outbreak management, supplementing P.L.1975, c.329 (C.26:3A2-1 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Each full-time health officer of a local health agency shall complete an annual training program in public health emergencies and public health outbreak management developed pursuant to subsection b. of this section. The training program shall explain the duties, responsibilities, and knowledge necessary to serve as a health officer in the advent of a public health emergency or public health outbreak.

b. Within six months of the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Department of Health, in consultation with the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, shall develop the annual training program required pursuant to subsection a. of this section. In developing the program, the Department of Health shall examine similar programs developed by various public, non-profit, and private sector entities, as well as similar programs in other states, and shall survey the available training resources and methods. The Department of Health shall create an electronic version of the training program accessible on the Internet. The Department of Health may provide the training program through the department’s employees or through a person, agency, organization, or entity contracted by the department for that purpose. The Department of Health shall, as necessary, notify all health officers, all local health boards, the secretaries of local health boards, and municipal and county clerks of the requirement for all health officers to complete the training program.

c. Upon completion of the annual training program required pursuant to P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), each health officer shall sign a statement asserting that the officer has received the training and file the certification with the Department of Health. The certification shall be public information. The Department of Health shall report a health officer’s failure to complete the training program. All new health officers shall fulfill the training program in public health emergencies and public health outbreak management requirement no later than one year after assuming the position.

d. All costs associated with developing, implementing, and effectuating an annual training program for health officers on public health emergencies and public health outbreak management shall be funded by the Department of Health at no cost to health officers, local health agencies, municipalities, or counties.

2. Within six months of the effective date of this act, the Commissioner of Health shall, in accordance with the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt and promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this act. The rules and regulations shall include a time frame, not to exceed one year from the promulgation of the rules and regulations, for the training of each health officer serving at the time of promulgation, and shall implement in an escalating schedule, from $1,000 to $5,000, personal fines that shall not be paid or reimbursed by the local health agency or local governing body for the failure of a health officer to complete the training within the specified time frame. All fines collected shall be dedicated towards improving the annual training program. Fines imposed pursuant to this subsection shall be collected in accordance with the “Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999,” P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).

3. This act shall take effect immediately, except that the annual training requirement pursuant to section 1 shall remain inoperable until the promulgation of rules and regulations pursuant to section 2.

STATEMENT

This bill requires each full-time health officer of a local health agency to receive annual training on public health emergencies and public health outbreak management. All costs associated with developing, implementing, and effectuating an annual training program for health officers on public health emergencies and public health outbreak management would be funded by the Department of Health at no cost to health officers, local health agencies, municipalities, or counties. The training program would explain the duties, responsibilities, and knowledge necessary to serve as a health officer in the advent of a public health emergency or public health outbreak.

Within six months of the effective date of the bill, the Department of Health, in consultation with the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, would develop the annual training program. In developing the program, the Department of Health would examine similar programs developed by various public, non-profit, and private sector entities, as well as similar programs in other states, and shall survey the available training resources and methods. The Department of Health would create an electronic version of the training program accessible on the Internet, and the department may provide the training program through the department’s employees or through a person, agency, organization, or entity contracted by the Department of Health for that purpose.

Under the bill, the Department of Health would, as necessary, notify all health officers, all local health boards, the secretaries of local health boards, and municipal and county clerks of the requirement for all health officers to complete the training program.

The bill also requires all newly elected, appointed, or designated health officers to fulfill the training program in public health emergencies and public health outbreak management requirement no later than one year after assuming the position. If a health officer fails to receive the training within the specified time frame, an escalating schedule, from $1,000 to $5,000, of personal fines are levied upon the officer. The fines would not be permitted to be paid or reimbursed by the local health agency or local governing body and all fines must be dedicated towards improving the annual training program.

The bill would take effect immediately, except that section 1 would remain inoperable until the promulgation of rules and regulations pursuant to section 2.