The bill amends Section 23-1-45 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-1, which pertains to the Department of Health, by creating a "childhood immunization account" within the general fund. This account is designated to support the childhood immunization program as outlined in § 23-1-44. The bill specifies that all money received for the childhood immunization program, including funds from §§ 23-1-46 and 23-1-47, as well as other dedicated sources, should be deposited into this account. Up to 15% of the annual revenues from this account may be used for administrative and quality assurance services related to the program. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, the bill allows the department to use up to $850,000 from the account to cover services such as PediPRN and MomsPRN information lines, as well as any additional information lines, referral services, or hotlines available to providers or residents in the state. The department is required to report on the use of these funds and provide recommendations for support beyond FY 2025 by March 1, 2025.

Additionally, the bill establishes a "pandemic medications and equipment account" and an "adult immunization account" within the general fund. The pandemic medications and equipment account is allocated an expenditure not to exceed $1,000,000 in FY 2007 for pandemic influenza medications and equipment. The adult immunization account is to be used for the adult immunization program, with funds received for this purpose deposited into the account. Similar to the childhood immunization account, for FY 2025, the department is authorized to use up to $850,000 from the adult immunization account for the same services as mentioned above, with a report due to the speaker of the house and senate president by March 1, 2025. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
2072  SUB A: 23-1-45
2072: 42-7.4-3, 35-4-27