HLS 22RS-2137 REENGROSSED
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 Louisiana Department of Health to conduct a comprehensive assessment of this
3 state's response and outcomes with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and to report
4 the findings of the assessment to the legislative committees on health and welfare.
5 WHEREAS, a worldwide outbreak of respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2
6coronavirus and named "coronavirus disease 2019", abbreviated as "COVID-19", was
7recognized by global health authorities as a pandemic on March 11, 2020; and
8 WHEREAS, Louisiana experienced a gubernatorially imposed state of public health
9emergency beginning on March 11, 2020, and running continuously through March 16,
102022, with the proclamations declaring and renewing the public health emergency imposing
11a wide variety of restrictions on the people of this state; and
12 WHEREAS, any positive effects of this state's pandemic-related restrictions should
13be considered in relation to any and all negative outcomes of those restrictions; and
14 WHEREAS, negative effects of governmentally imposed pandemic-related
15restrictions may include any of the following: an increase in mortality from other causes;
16prevention of families and clergy from being able to comfort and minister to the sick and
17dying; an increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation; an increase in substance use
18disorders; the delay or suppression of child development and learning among young
19children; the loss of tax revenue to fund essential services; an increase in criminality; erosion
20of 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 Louisiana Department of Health to conduct a comprehensive assessment of this
5state's response and outcomes with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the assessment called for in this
7Resolution, the department shall consider, at minimum, each positive and negative effect
8noted in the foregoing provisions of this Resolution.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department shall survey the complete period
10of December, 2019, through April, 2022 and provide in the report called for in this
11Resolution all of the following:
12 (1) Each date upon which an official recommendation was issued or an official
13action taken through gubernatorial proclamation or state health officer order in the state's
14COVID-19 response.
15 (2) The impetus or any other triggering event for each recommendation and action
16described in Paragraph (1).
17 (3) The basis for each recommendation.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department shall include in the report called
19for in this Resolution a section entitled "Lessons Learned" which shall identify
20recommendations made in the state's COVID-19 response that were found to be lacking in
21scope, detail, or justification, as well as recommendations that were proven to mitigate the
22harm to this state resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report section, the
23department shall indicate which of its recommendations differed from any guidance of the
24United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in effect at the time.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the assessment called for in this
26Resolution, the department shall study each case of an officially reported COVID-related
27death in this state and include in the resulting report a classification of all such deaths
28according to the following categories:
29 (1) Deaths of persons from COVID-19 with each decedent's comorbidities, if any,
30noted.
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HCR NO. 80
1 (2) Deaths of persons with incidental COVID-19 with each decedent's comorbidities,
2if any, noted.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department shall submit its findings from
4the assessment called for in this Resolution in the form of a report to the House Committee
5on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, and the David R.
6Poynter Legislative Research Library no later than thirty days prior to the convening of the
72023 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
9secretary 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 Reengrossed 2022 Regular Session Crews
Directs 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 department
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.
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.
The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1. Change the entity responsible for conducting the assessment from the office of
public health to the office's parent agency, the La. Dept. of Health.
2. Delete a requirement that the entity conducting the assessment consult with any
other state agencies as appropriate to obtain the data and other relevant
information necessary to perform the assessment.
3. Specify that the official recommendations or actions in the state's COVID-19
response to be examined in the assessment are those that were done through
gubernatorial proclamation or state health officer order.
4. Delete a requirement that the report to result from the assessment include
evidence contraindicating official recommendations and actions in the state's
COVID-19 response.
5. Delete a requirement that the assessment feature comparisons of groups studied
with appropriate control groups.
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