This bill mandates a minimum annual appropriation of $10 million from the State's General Fund to the Department of Health for Public Health Priority Funding, starting July 1 following the bill's enactment. This funding is intended to support local health departments in New Jersey, which previously relied on such appropriations until the funding was eliminated in the FY 2011 Appropriations Act. The bill aims to restore the flexibility and resources that local health departments need to address community health needs and emerging threats effectively.

The legislation supplements the Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977, which historically provided unrestricted funds to local health departments. Prior to the funding cut in 2011, these funds constituted about 15 percent of the total funding for local health departments, which now primarily depend on local property taxes and designated State and federal funding for specific purposes. By reinstating dedicated funding, the bill seeks to enhance the operational capacity of local health departments and support essential public health programs.