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2020 SPECIAL SESSION I

20200942D
HOUSE BILL NO. 5122
Offered August 24, 2020
A BILL to require the Department of Health to convene a work group to develop a plan to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines and other medications necessary to treat or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth; report; emergency.
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Patrons-- Sickles and Price
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Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Health (the Department) shall convene a work group, which shall include the Commonwealth's Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and representatives of the Office of Health Equity of the Department of Health, the Department of Emergency Management, and such other stakeholders as the Department shall deem appropriate and which may be an existing work group or other entity previously convened for a related purpose, to (i) evaluate the methods by which vaccines and other medications necessary to treat or prevent the spread of COVID-19 are made available to the public, (ii) identify and develop a plan to implement specific actions necessary to ensure such vaccines and other medications are equitably distributed in the Commonwealth to ensure all residents of the Commonwealth are able to access such vaccines and other medications, and (iii) make recommendations for any statutory, regulatory, or budgetary actions necessary to implement such plan. The Department shall make an initial report on its activities and any findings to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1, 2020, and shall report monthly thereafter during such time as the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the Governor pursuant to § 44-146.17 of the Code of Virginia remains in effect.

2. That an emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.