BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 409
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 5, 2006

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                   Judy Chu, Chair

                    SB 409 (Kehoe) - As Amended:  March 23, 2006 

          Policy Committee:                             NA    Vote:NA

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill appropriates $7 million (GF) in the current budget  
          year to supplement funding provided in the Budget Act of 2005,  
          consisting of $5.4 million to the Department of Health Services  
          (DHS) for pandemic flu vaccines, laboratory equipment, and state  
          staff for pandemic flu planning/communicable disease outbreaks,  
          and $1.6 million to the Emergency Medical Services Authority  
          (EMSA) for personal protective equipment for ambulance  
          personnel, as follows:


          1)To EMSA, $1.6 million for the purchase and provision of  
            minimum personal protective equipment for ambulance personnel  
            who agree, through a contract with EMSA or the local emergency  
            medical services agency, to participate in state and local  
            disaster response. Recipients of the personal protective  
            equipment are required to replace the equipment, as necessary,  
            and to provide necessary, ongoing training on the use of the  
            equipment. 


          2)To DHS:


             a)   $76,000 to oversee management of antiviral supplies,  
               vaccines, and medical supplies that need to be obtained and  
               distributed during a pandemic;


             b)   $415,000 to provide expanded capacity in the Microbial  
               Diseases Laboratory and the Viral and Rickettsial Diseases  
               Laboratory to implement new tests to control infectious  








                                                                  SB 409
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               diseases, and to purchase a portable Raman Infrared  
               Microscopy System and a portable Gas Chromatographic/Mass  
               Spectroscopy System for the state laboratory in Richmond; 


             c)   $460,000 to purchase doses of antiviral supplies used in  
               the prevention or treatment of influenza; and


             d)   $4.5 million to strengthen pandemic influenza planning  
               efforts, conduct epidemiologic investigations of infectious  
               and communicable disease outbreaks, and provide  
               epidemiologic and statistical support as requested. 


          3)Exempts funds appropriated under this bill from State Contract  
            Act requirements in order to rapidly implement pandemic  
            influenza planning and preparedness efforts, contracts or  
            other agreements entered into for pandemic influenza planning  
            or preparedness activities.


           FISCAL EFFECT


           Appropriates $7 million (GF); $5.4 million to DHS and $1.6  
          million to EMSA.

           COMMENTS

          1)Purpose  .  This bill appropriates $7 million to enhance  
            California's ability to respond to public health emergencies,  
            whether naturally occurring or resulting from terrorism.  

          The appropriation in this bill for DHS is intended to strengthen  
            DHS' response to public health emergencies, including pandemic  
            influenza, strengthen the DHS laboratory infrastructure and  
            staffing, expand the state's disease surveillance, and improve  
            DHS' ability to respond to pandemic influenza and other  
            natural and intentional disasters that can jeopardize public  
            health.

          The appropriation in this bill for EMSA is intended to purchase  
            personal protective equipment (PPE) for 1,500 private  
            ambulance units through grants from local Emergency Medical  








                                                                  SB 409
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            Services agencies.  This equipment will ensure that private  
            ambulance providers have a greater level of protection to  
            enable an "all hazard" response with an emphasis on chemical,  
            biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive events.  EMSA  
            indicates approximately 28% of the ambulances in California  
            have sufficient PPE to respond to terrorism events and  
            disasters.

           2)Background  .  DHS states one of the most important public  
            health issues facing California is the threat of pandemic  
            influenza.  As of January 2006, a pandemic influenza strain  
            does not exist, but a new strain of avian influenza has been  
            spreading in bird populations.  As of January 14, 2006, there  
            were 148 confirmed cases and 79 deaths from avian flu in six  
            nations.  

          The governor's 2006-07 budget appropriates $45.8 million (GF),  
            $103.8 million in federal funds, and provides 162.8 positions  
            to support California's public health system's capacity to  
            respond to various events, including bioterrorism, outbreaks  
            of infectious diseases, and other public health threats.   
            Reports over the last few years by the RAND Corporation and  
            the Little Hoover Commission have urged improvements to  
            California's public health infrastructure.

           3)Proposed Author's Amendment  .  In committee, the author intends  
            to amend this bill to add an urgency clause.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Scott Bain / APPR. / (916) 319-2081