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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4027 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2155
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
William J. Driscoll, Jr.
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to create an at home test reporting system in the Commonwealth.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:William J. Driscoll, Jr.7th Norfolk1/20/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4027 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2155
By Representative Driscoll of Milton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2155) of
William J. Driscoll, Jr. for legislation to create an at home test reporting system. Public Health.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act to create an at home test reporting system in the Commonwealth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public
2health shall, in collaboration with the executive office of technology services and security,
3establish a mechanism to gather data from at-home, self-administered tests for COVID-19,
4influenza, and other illnesses that the department deems detrimental to public health, provided
5that an FDA approved, or otherwise authorized, at-home test exists for said illness. The
6department shall work with the necessary partners to establish an online portal on the mass.gov
7website and an automated telephone line designed for this purpose. Residents shall be able to
8report up to two-tests per-day, per-illness, per-individual in the household, including themselves,
9any dependents in their care, and any other member of the household. Additionally, there shall be
10a separate mechanism for institutional reporting of self-test results for use by pre-K programs, K-
1112 schools, colleges, and universities in the Commonwealth conducting testing through the
12school health office or officials. These results shall be tracked and reported separately from tests
13reported by residential users. There shall also be a mechanism for the institutional reporting 2 of 2
14outside of the education context, including for congregate care settings, rehabilitation centers,
15correctional facilities, and others deemed fit by the department. The department shall use these
16mechanisms to track (1) the total number of at home tests reported, (2) the number of those tests
17that had positive results, (3) the average positivity rate of at-home tests, and (4) the number of
18repeat or duplicative tests, including those testing positive after two or more positive tests. The
19department shall store and maintain this data for an appropriate period, and report weekly on the
20data gathered. At the discretion of the department, the reporting interval may be increased or
21changed, provided that reports are published at least once per week. The department shall
22collaborate with local boards of public health, school districts, and other stakeholders to ensure
23that the critical data is accessible to the public and decision makers. At the request of a local
24board of public health or local public health director, the department shall, to the best of its
25ability, provide localized data specific to the municipality requesting the data.
26 The department shall ensure that each reporting method is also able to provide immediate
27guidance to those who report a positive test, including instructions for following up with medical
28providers, ways to access treatments for the illness in question, and any addition guidance that
29may be needed for high-risk persons. Simplified reporting instructions for positive test results
30shall be provided for at-home tests distributed by the department of public health, department of
31elementary and secondary education, or other state agency, and posted on the mass.gov website.