HLS 22RS-2137 ENGROSSED
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 80
BY REPRESENTATIVE CREWS
PUBLIC HEALTH/OFFICE: Directs the office of public health to conduct a comprehensive
assessment of this state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To direct the office of public health of the Louisiana Department of Health to conduct a
3 comprehensive assessment of this state's response and outcomes with respect to the
4 COVID-19 pandemic and to report the findings of the assessment to the legislative
5 committees on health and welfare.
6 WHEREAS, a worldwide outbreak of respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2
7coronavirus and named "coronavirus disease 2019", abbreviated as "COVID-19", was
8recognized by global health authorities as a pandemic on March 11, 2020; and
9 WHEREAS, Louisiana experienced a gubernatorially imposed state of public health
10emergency beginning on March 11, 2020, and running continuously through March 16,
112022, with the proclamations declaring and renewing the public health emergency imposing
12a wide variety of restrictions on the people of this state; and
13 WHEREAS, any positive effects of this state's pandemic-related restrictions should
14be considered in relation to any and all negative outcomes of those restrictions; and
15 WHEREAS, negative effects of governmentally imposed pandemic-related
16restrictions may include any of the following: an increase in mortality from other causes;
17prevention of families and clergy from being able to comfort and minister to the sick and
18dying; an increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation; an increase in substance use
19disorders; the delay or suppression of child development and learning among young
20children; the loss of tax revenue to fund essential services; an increase in criminality; erosion
21of trust in medical advice and other health-related information issued by governmental
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HCR NO. 80
1sources; the suppression of the right to free speech of dissenting medical professionals; and
2the surrender of the constitutionally recognized concept of state sovereignty.
3 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
4direct the office of public health of the Louisiana Department of Health to conduct a
5comprehensive assessment of this state's response and outcomes with respect to the
6COVID-19 pandemic.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the assessment called for in this
8Resolution, the office of public health shall consider, at minimum, each positive and
9negative effect noted in the foregoing provisions of this Resolution and shall consult with
10any other state agencies as appropriate to obtain the data and other relevant information
11necessary to perform the assessment.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of public health shall survey the
13complete period of December, 2019, through April, 2022 and provide in the report called for
14in this Resolution all of the following:
15 (1) Each date upon which an official recommendation was issued or an official
16action taken in the state's COVID-19 response.
17 (2) The impetus or any other triggering event for each recommendation and action
18described in Paragraph (1).
19 (3) Evidence supporting each recommendation and action described in Paragraph
20(1) along with citations for the sources of such evidence.
21 (4) Evidence contraindicating each recommendation and action described in
22Paragraph (1) along with citations for the sources of such evidence.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of public health shall include in the
24report called for in this Resolution a section entitled "Lessons Learned" which shall identify
25recommendations made in the state's COVID-19 response that were found to be lacking in
26scope, detail, or justification, as well as recommendations that were proven to mitigate the
27harm to this state resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report section, the office
28of public health shall indicate which of its recommendations differed from any guidance of
29the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in effect at the time.
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1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the assessment called for in this
2Resolution, the office of public health shall study each case of an officially reported COVID-
3related death in this state and include in the resulting report a classification of all such deaths
4according to the following categories:
5 (1) Deaths of persons from COVID-19 with each decedent's comorbidities, if any,
6noted.
7 (2) Deaths of persons with incidental COVID-19 with each decedent's comorbidities,
8if any, noted.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, because reputable scientific studies utilize
10control groups to ensure the validity of their findings, the office of public health shall make
11comparisons of groups studied with appropriate control groups in conducting the assessment
12called for in this Resolution. Examples of such control group utilization shall include,
13without limitation, comparing the health of children in schools with mask mandates against
14the health of children in schools without such mandates and health events and outcomes of
15persons who received a COVID vaccine versus persons who did not receive a COVID
16vaccine.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of public health shall submit its
18findings from the assessment called for in this Resolution in the form of a report to the
19House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, and
20the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library no later than thirty days prior to the
21convening of the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
23secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 80 Engrossed 2022 Regular Session Crews
Directs the office of public health of the La. Dept. of Health to conduct a comprehensive
assessment of this state's response and outcomes with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Requires the office to report the findings of the assessment to the legislative committees on
health and welfare no later than 30 days prior to the convening of the 2023 R.S.
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HCR NO. 80
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill:
1. Specify that data on deaths of persons with COVID-19 to be reported are to
reflect deaths of persons with incidental COVID-19.
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