ASSEMBLY, No. 3241

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman DAN HUTCHISON

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Miller

SYNOPSIS

     Requires DOH to establish partnerships with certain entities to improve emergency response to public health crisis.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act concerning long-term care facilities and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.  The Commissioner of Health shall:

     a.     identify goods and services that are critical to the Department of Health’s ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     b.    identify partnerships that are critical to the Department of Health’s ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     c.     establish mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of the partnerships described in subsection b. of this section;

     d.    identify groups that are most at-risk during a public health crisis;

     e.     establish and maintain institutionalized partnerships with businesses, community groups, governments, health care facilities and professionals, industries, universities, and other stakeholders that will enable the Department of Health to expand and improve its ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     f.     formulate collaborative public health crisis response plans through the partnerships that were formed pursuant to this section;

     g.    participate in joint training and exercises with partners for the execution of collaborative public health crisis response plans; 

     h.  regularly engage partners on topics related to the delivery of services and emergency preparedness;

     i.  coordinate with partners during nonemergency government operations; and

     j.  coordinate with other local and State agencies and departments to develop a system to share and track contacts and partnership activity.

     2.  The Commissioner of Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

     3.  This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

     This bill requires the Department of Health to establish partnerships with certain entities to improve emergency response to public health crisis.

     Under the bill, the Commissioner of Health is to:

     (1)   identify goods and services that are critical to the Department of Health’s ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     (2)   identify partnerships that are critical to the Department of Health’s ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     (3)   establish mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of the partnerships described in the bill;

     (4)   identify groups that are most at-risk during a public health crisis;

     (5)   establish and maintain institutionalized partnerships with businesses, community groups, governments, health care facilities and professionals, industries, universities, and other stakeholders that will enable the Department of Health to expand and improve its ability to provide a robust emergency response to a public health crisis;

     (6)   formulate collaborative public health crisis response plans through the partnerships that were formed pursuant to the bill’s provisions;

     (7)   participate in joint training and exercises with partners for the execution of collaborative public health crisis response plans; 

     (8) regularly engage partners on topics related to the delivery of services and emergency preparedness;

     (9) coordinate with partners during nonemergency government operations; and

     (10) coordinate with other local and State agencies and departments to develop a system to share and track contacts and partnership activity.