S704 - COVID-19 Recovery Act. (SL 2020-3)

Overview: Section 3C.1 of S.L. 2020-3 directs the Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in conjunction with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management within the Department of Public Safety to develop a plan for creating and maintaining a strategic state stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies. This plan must be submitted to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety. The plan must include:

• Recommendations about which agency should lead the stockpile effort.
• Improvements to the state procurement process for PPE.
• Recommendations on who should have access to the stockpile.
• Ways to increase production of PPE within the state.
• Recommendations about procuring testing supplies.
• Potential locations for the stockpile.
• Recommendations about the source, type, quality, and quantity of PPE and testing supplies the State should maintain.
• An inventory mechanism.
• A five year budget.
• Any other items deemed necessary.

This section of the act became effective May 4, 2020.