SPONSOR: Voss
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Health and Mental Health by a vote of 16 to 0.
This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Senior Services to contract with a designated Missouri affiliate of the National Network of Public Health Institutes, or a similar or successor entity, in order to assist in carrying out its duties to promote the health and well-being of Missouri residents. Such contracts can include efforts to assist in the delivery of health services throughout the State and the administration of grant funds and related programs. The Department and the designated affiliate must provide a report to the General Assembly, as specified in the bill.
This bill is the same as SB 549 (2025).
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that a lot of the time, the CDC will recognize there is a specific hotspot or issue area, and when trying to implement Federal grants to tackle such issues, there is a lack of capacity to do so. It presents no cost to the State because of Federal funding availability, and the entities or affiliates that are being contracted with possess the highest standards available to public health institutes.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Voss; REACH Healthcare Foundation; National Association of Social Workers; Missouri Association of Rural Health Clinics; BJC Healthcare Systems; Cox Health; Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital; Arnie Dienoff; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and Missouri Center For Public Health Excellence.
OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: