ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2291

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 18, 2026

      The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2291.

      This bill requires the Department of Health (department), in collaboration with the State Office of Emergency Management, to establish a Statewide strategic essential buffer stock for emergency preparedness and drug shortage prevention to be used and dispensed in the event of public health emergency, outbreak, or other emergency, including, but not limited to a natural disaster, man-made disaster, or mass casualty event at the local and State level.

      The bill defines “essential buffer stock” to mean an essential buffer stock of emergency and chronic disease medication, vaccines, and medical supplies, an essential medicine reserve, or a strategic inventory of essential medicines.

      Under the bill, the department, in collaboration the State Office of Emergency Management, will establish guidelines for the procurement, management, and distribution of medicines, vaccines, and medical items in the essential buffer stock.

      The bill requires the department, in consultation with the State Office of Emergency Management and other relevant agencies, to define a list of entities that may receive resources from the essential buffer stock.

      The department may contract with a private entity for the procurement of strategic emergency readiness supplies for, and the management and distribution of, the essential buffer stock, including a virtually sequestered buffer stock.  The department may contract for the reservation of supplies stored by a private vendor-managed entity for the essential buffer stock, and the distribution of those supplies to locations specified by the department, consistent with the guidelines established pursuant to the bill.

      The bill requires the department, in collaboration with the State Office of Emergency Management, and other stakeholders, as necessary, to conduct demand planning and essential buffer stock modeling to help determine which emergency readiness supplies are to be included in the essential buffer stock at the discretion of the department.  In maintaining and securing supplies pursuant to the bill, the department will seek to maximize available federal and State funding to implement the provisions of this act.

      The bill appropriates from the General Fund to the department such sums as are necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2026-2027 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.