S105 - 2021 Appropriations Act. (SL 2021-180)

Overview: Section 9G.11 of S.L. 2021-180 provides that of the funds appropriated from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund to the Division of Public Health (DPH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), $36 million in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year must be allocated to local health departments to expand communicable disease surveillance, detection, control, and prevention activities to address the COVID-19 public health emergency and other communicable disease challenges impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

DPH must expend up to $18 million of the allocated funds during the 2021-2022 fiscal year and any remaining funds during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

• In the distribution of these funds to local health departments, for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, DPH must divide $9 million equally among the local health departments based on the number of counties served by each local health department.
• DPH must distribute the remaining $9 million to local health departments based upon the percentage of the State population served by each of the local health departments.
• DPH is required to begin distributing the funds no later than 60 days after the act becomes law.
• In utilizing these funds, local health departments must comply with applicable federal rules and guidance governing the State Fiscal Recovery Fund.

By February 1, 2022, DPH must report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services on the funding appropriated by this section and the report must include the following elements:

• The amount of funding that each county received for surveillance, detection, control, and prevention of communicable diseases.
• An explanation if the sum of the funding received by all counties under this section is not equivalent to the total funds appropriated each year.
• Information on how the local health departments plan to use and subsequently did use these funds to address surveillance, detection, control, and prevention of communicable diseases.
• Consistent with the supplement and not supplant intent of this section, the report must delineate funds other than those distributed in accordance with this section that were received by each county to address surveillance, detection, control, and prevention of communicable diseases.
• Additional information as can be requested by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services.

This section became effective July 1, 2021.