ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 4580
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill
No. 4580.
This bill increases the State’s public health emergency supplies
and services.
The bill establishes a State stockpile for personal protective
equipment. The Director of the Division of Purchase and Property in
the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the State Office
of Emergency Management (OEM), will award a contract or contracts
for the procurement of personal protective equipment for the creation
of a stockpile. OEM will have the duty of maintaining the stockpile
and ensuring that the stockpile is adequately stocked to meet the
State’s personal protective equipment needs during a public health
emergency.
During a public health emergency, OEM will make the personal
protective equipment in the stockpile available to the State and its
political subdivisions, to public New Jersey schools, State hospitals,
and State nursing homes without charging a fee. During a public
health emergency, the Director of the Division of Purchase and
Property in the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the
OEM, will make the remainder of the stockpiles available for purchase
by other entities at market price. OEM, in consultation with the
Department of Health, will have discretion to establish orders of
priority for which entities may gain first access to the stockpile.
The bill requires the Director (director) of OEM to create,
maintain, and update, an online portal, in the form of an Internet
website, that allows entities to donate emergency supplies during a
public health emergency in accordance with standards and
requirements as determined by OEM.
The bill requires the director, to the extent possible, to review and
streamline the State’s process for procuring critical supplies and
services during a public health emergency. In streamlining this
procurement process, the director will, at a minimum:
(1) designate a primary person or agency as the point-of-contact
for procurement concerns during a public health emergency;
(2) to the extent possible, centralize the procurement process for
critical supplies and services during a public health emergency;
(3) develop a plan to temporarily surge the State’s procurement
capacity during a public health emergency, as necessary; 2
(4) establish protocols to reduce the administrative burden of
procurement processes during a public health emergency;
(5) establish a standard procurement operating plan for public
health emergencies that clearly outlines leadership structures, roles,
and responsibilities;
(6) develop a comprehensive repository of emergency contracts
for critical supplies and services that can be utilized during a public
health emergency;
(7) revise standard procurement processes to enhance the State’s
ability to contract with vendors prior to a public health emergency; and
(8) to the extent possible, promote collaboration between OEM
and the Division of Purchase and Property.