SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR
CITIZENS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 3562
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 9, 2024
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate
Bill No. 3562.
As amended by the committee, this bill provides for the
designation and establishment of a Public Health Institute in New
Jersey.
The bill requires the Commissioner of Health (commissioner) to
designate one entity to serve as the Public Health Institute pursuant to
criteria established by the commissioner. The purpose and objective
of the Public Health Institute will be to:
(1) coordinate among national, State, and local agencies,
including, but not limited to, local and county health departments,
Regional Health Hubs, licensed health care facilities, public health-
related advocacy and membership organizations, and private
organizations, for the purposes of promoting equitable public health
services in New Jersey;
(2) provide timely and nimble administrative, operational and
fiscal support to public and private health agencies, community-based
organizations, and other strategic partners;
(3) develop and implement projects, programs, initiatives, or
services designed to improve public health outcomes, address racial
disparities in public health including the underlying systemic root
causes of health disparities and inequities, and bridge gaps between
public and private sector health care and community services;
(4) promote, support, and fund programs related to workforce
development, education, applied research, policy development, and
other initiatives that advance the purposes of the Public Health
Institute;
(5) enter into contracts for the purchase of medical
countermeasures, supplies or therapeutics, or other products or service
agreements as may be necessary to aid the Department of Health
(department) in advancing or protecting the public health; and
(6) engage in charitable programs dedicated to the purposes and
objectives of the Public Health Institute. 2
Under the bill, the commissioner will establish criteria that an
entity must satisfy to be designated as a Public Health Institute, which
criteria shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) be a nonprofit organization located in New Jersey;
(2) be recognized by the National Network of Public Health
Institutes or any successor accreditation body for public health
institutes;
(3) possess the capacity to integrate and coordinate public health
functions on a local, county, and Statewide level;
(4) maintain a network of personnel with expertise in the areas of
health care data collection and analysis, health care policy, health care
information systems, and public health research; and
(5) any other criteria established by the commissioner.
An entity designated as the Public Health Institute pursuant to the
bill will enter into an agreement with the department requiring the
entity to:
(1) comply with all applicable laws and regulations necessary to
qualify for and maintain its nonprofit status;
(2) regularly consult with and give due consideration to the input
and recommendations of the department and local health departments
in carrying out its duties;
(3) develop and submit to the department an operational plan;
(4) submit to the department an initial startup plan of certain
issues, projects and action items the Public Health Institute will pursue
in the first three years of its designation;
(5) submit periodic planning documents and progress reports to the
department at such intervals as may be determined by the
commissioner;
(6) provide information, assistance, and services as may be
required by the department in order to design, plan, implement or
coordinate any projects, programs, initiatives, or services that advance
the mutual purposes of the department and the Public Health Institute;
(7) report any data collected or maintained by the Public Health
Institute to the department; and
(8) comply with any other requirements as may be determined by
the commissioner.
The commissioner may, as a condition of a nonprofit entity
maintaining its designation as the Public Health Institute, require such
nonprofit entity to perform such additional tasks or satisfy additional
requirements on a continuing basis. The commissioner may rescind
the commissioner’s designation of the Public Health Institute in
accordance with the terms of agreement entered into pursuant to the
bill.
The bill establishes in the department a special, non-lapsing fund
to be known as the Public Health Institute Fund. Monies deposited in
the fund will be dedicated for the support and funding of the
establishment and maintenance of the Public Health Institute and any 3
projects, programs, initiatives, or services of the Public Health
Institute.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :
The committee amendments revise the findings and declarations
section of the bill to provide more context on the purpose and scope of
a Public Health Institute.
The committee amendments clarify that the Commissioner of
Health (commissioner) is to designate only one non-profit entity to
serve as the Public Health Institute. As introduced, the commissioner
could designate one or more entities.
The committee amendments provide that the purpose of the Public
Health Institute will also include: coordinating among local and county
health departments, Regional Health Hubs, licensed health care
facilities, and public health-related advocacy and membership
organizations; and addressing the underlying systemic root causes of
health disparities and inequities.
The committee amendments revise the selection criteria for the
Public Health Institute and require that a nonprofit organization be
recognized by the National Network of Public Health Institutes or any
successor accreditation body for public health institutes. As
introduced, a non-profit organization recognized by another
membership or accreditation body for public health institutes could
satisfy the criteria requirements.
The committee amendments provide that an entity designated as
the Public Health Institute will also be required to regularly consult
with and give due consideration to the input and recommendations of
local health departments, in addition to the Department of Health.
The committee amendments clarify under which circumstances,
and the manner in which, the commissioner may rescind the
designation of the Public Health Institute.