HB 1818 - DIGEST

Finds that the public health system as defined in RCW 43.70.575 is essential to fulfilling the state's responsibility to protect the health and safety of its citizens.

Finds that local public health departments lack adequate resources even as their duties increase. Rather than risk catastrophic loss of life, the legislature further finds that local public health departments must immediately be given the resources to effectively implement the specific public health improvement standards concerning threats to our drinking water and food supplies, communicable disease, and other first-responder duties unique to local public health departments, pursuant to the requirements in RCW 43.70.520.

Appropriates the sum of ten million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, from the general fund to the department of health for state funding the local public health standards adopted in the public health services improvement plan pursuant to RCW 43.70.520(8). The funds will support local public health departments' obligations concerning health data and information that individuals and communities can use; chronic and infectious disease surveillance; rapid response to outbreaks of communicable disease; efforts to prevent and control specific communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, West Nile virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and influenza; and local public health district programs to ensure the safety of drinking water and food supplies.

Appropriates the sum of ten million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, from the general fund to the department of health for state funding the local public health standards adopted in the public health services improvement plan pursuant to RCW 43.70.520(8). The funds will support local public health districts' obligations concerning health data and information that individuals and communities can use; chronic and infectious disease surveillance; rapid response to outbreaks of communicable disease; efforts to prevent and control specific communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, West Nile virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and influenza; and local public health district programs to ensure the safety of drinking water and food supplies.