Bill Text: NJ A4004 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic Task Force on Racial and Health Disparities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-11 - Approved P.L.2021, c.106. [A4004 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A4004-Amended.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Caputo
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic Task Force on Racial and Health Disparities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Health Committee on June 22, 2020, with amendments.
An Act establishing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic Task Force on Racial and Health Disparities.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There is established the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic Task Force on Racial and Health Disparities in the Department of Health.
a. The task force shall consist of 1[15] 211 members as follows:
(1) the Chief Diversity Officer of New Jersey; a representative of the Department of Health whose duties or expertise includes expanding access by minority populations to clinically appropriate healthcare services or eliminating discrimination in the implementation of healthcare programs, policies, or initiatives; 1a representative of the Department of Community Affairs; a representative of the Department of Human Services; a representative of the Department of Children and Families; a representative of the Housing and Mortgage Financing Agency;1 and a representative of the Office of Emergency Management;
(2) two members of the Senate, one of whom shall be a member of the New Jersey Black Legislative Caucus, and one of whom shall be a member of the New Jersey Latino Caucus, appointed by the Senate President;
(3) two members of the General Assembly, one of whom shall be a member of the New Jersey Black Legislative Caucus, and one whom shall be a member of the New Jersey Latino Caucus, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and
(4) 1[8] ten1 public members appointed by the Governor, who shall include: a representative of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; a representative of a federally qualified health center; a physician licensed to practice in this State who specializes in providing care to patients in the State's minority and vulnerable communities; a nurse licensed to practice in this State who specializes in providing care to patients in the State's minority and vulnerable communities who may be a school nurse; a representative of a general hospital located in the State's minority and vulnerable communities 1with direct experience working with minority and vulnerable communities; a representative of the Maternal and Child Health Consortia1; a representative of the New Jersey Urban Mayor's Association; and 1[two] three1 representatives of 1[two] three1 different non-profit organizations that conduct research, education, and training on, and develop policy initiatives to 1[, ]1 address1,1 health equity in this State.
b. Vacancies
in the membership of the task force shall be filled in
the same manner provided for the original appointments. The public members of the task force shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for traveling and other miscellaneous expenses necessary to perform their duties within the limits of funds made available to the task force for its purposes.
c. The task force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members and shall select a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
d. The task force may meet at the call of its chairperson and hold hearings, remotely, as appropriate, by telephone, computer, or other means of live audio or video communication, at the times and in the places it deems appropriate and necessary to fulfill its charge. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance, and avail itself of the services of the employees of, any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.
e. The Chief Diversity Officer of New Jersey shall consult with members of the Governor's cabinet on matters related to the functions of the task force, and shall invite representatives of any State department to attend hearings called by the chairperson of the task force, as appropriate.
f. The Department of Health shall provide staff services to the task force.
2. The purpose of the task force shall be to:
a. conduct a thorough and comprehensive study on the reasons how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the State's minority and vulnerable communities, and the short-term and long-term consequences of the pandemic on these communities;
b. improve existing data systems to ensure that the health information that is collected relating to COVID-19 infections and deaths, 1[include] includes1 specific race, ethnicity, and demographic identifiers to develop a better statistical understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the State's minority and vulnerable communities;
c. evaluate the issues relating to the quality of, and access to, 1physical and mental1 treatment and services provided to various racial and ethnic populations in the State during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
d. develop effective strategies to:
(1) address the racial, ethnic, and health disparities, and historical and systematic inequalities pertaining to race and ethnicity that have amplified the death rate in the State's minority and vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic; 1[and]1
(2) reduce and eliminate disparities among the various racial and ethnic populations within the State's minority and vulnerable communities with respect to health status, access to high-quality health care, and utilization of health care services 1;
e. hold a minimum of three public hearings, either in-person or remotely, as appropriate, by telephone, computer, or other means of live audio or video communication, with at least one hearing to be held in the northern, southern, and central regions of the State, to solicit and receive testimony from community members based on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic;
f. evaluate communications, messages, and modes of dissemination regarding testing, contact tracing, and other related public health matters to achieve health care equity and cultural competence;
g. evaluate impediments that may interfere with an individual's ability to quarantine or isolate;
h. analyze the distribution of resources, including personal protective equipment and food, in the State's minority and vulnerable communities;
i. examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of essential employees;
j. examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to child care services;
k. investigate the prevalence of intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
l. identify best practices, opportunities for shared services, or potential partnerships that would increase the communication of health care information and materials in multiple languages for individuals, including persons with developmental disabilities and senior citizens1.
3. a. No later than one year after the public health emergency declared pursuant to P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.) in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is lifted, the task force shall report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, on the activities of the task force and its findings and recommendations on strategies to:
(1) address the racial, ethnic, and health disparities and historical and systematic inequalities pertaining to race and ethnicity that have amplified the death rate in the State's minority and vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic;
(2) address the short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the State's minority and vulnerable communities; and
(3) reduce and eliminate disparities among the various racial and ethnic populations within the State's minority and vulnerable communities with respect to health status, access to high-quality health care, and utilization of health care services.
b. The task force shall expire 30 days after the issuance of its report.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
