Bill Text

Bill Information


Bill PDF |Add To My Favorites | print page

SB-1029 One Health Program: zoonotic diseases.(2021-2022)

SHARE THIS: share this bill in Facebook share this bill in Twitter
Date Published: 10/03/2022 09:00 PM
SB1029:v95#DOCUMENT

Senate Bill No. 1029
CHAPTER 990

An act to add Division 118 (commencing with Section 150500) to the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.

[ Approved by Governor  September 30, 2022. Filed with Secretary of State  September 30, 2022. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1029, Hurtado. One Health Program: zoonotic diseases.
Existing law sets forth various powers and responsibilities for the State Department of Public Health concerning communicable disease prevention and control, in relation to persons, animals, and places, as necessary to protect or preserve the public health, and establishes other duties for the department in regulating food safety and sanitation standards. Existing law sets forth various functions for the Department of Food and Agriculture for protecting the agricultural industry and the public health, safety, and welfare through different mechanisms, including food inspection, animal and plant quarantine, and pest control. Existing law sets forth various responsibilities for the Department of Fish and Wildlife with regard to disease investigation, pest control, and conservation, in relation to certain animals and plants and to wildlife generally.
This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to jointly establish and administer the One Health Program for the purpose of developing a framework for interagency coordination in responding to zoonotic diseases and reducing hazards to human and nonhuman animal health, in accordance with the One Health principles set forth by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill would require the 3 departments to develop the framework in consultation with stakeholders, as specified, and to establish goals, identify activities, and recommend legislation or other actions to advance One Health efforts. The bill would require the departments to periodically post joint reports on their respective internet websites and to submit the reports to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a single report containing an assessment of the framework, as specified, and recommendations for ways in which the Legislature could conduct regular oversight of the framework’s implementation.
The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on an appropriation by the Legislature.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach, working at the local, regional, national, and global levels with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes and recognizing the intersection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
(b) The link between human and animal health can be seen quite clearly with bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis. Both are zoonotic diseases, meaning they can spread from animals to people.
(c) Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis are bacterial diseases most commonly found in cattle and other animals, such as bison, elk, and deer, as well as cattle, goats, and sheep. People can become infected with bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis by consuming contaminated, unpasteurized, raw milk or dairy products or through direct contact with infected live animals or carcasses.
(d) In the United States, it was once common for bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis to spread from animals to people, but efforts to eliminate both diseases in cattle and routine pasteurization of cow’s milk have led to a dramatic decline in the amount of human cases.
(e) In the early 1900s, about 20 percent of tuberculosis cases in humans were caused by bovine tuberculosis. Today, that number is less than 2 percent. From 1931 to 1941, about 29,600 cases of brucellosis in people were reported, but, from 1993 to 2010, the number of reported human cases was less than 2,000.
(f) Communication, coordination, and collaboration among partners working in animal, human, and environmental health, as well as other relevant partners, are an essential part of the One Health approach.
(g) Working together allows us to have the biggest impact on improving health for people, animals, and our shared environment.

SEC. 2.

 Division 118 (commencing with Section 150500) is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

DIVISION 118. ONE HEALTH PROGRAM

150500.
 (a) The State Department of Public Health, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife shall jointly establish and administer the One Health Program for the purpose of developing a framework for interagency coordination in responding to zoonotic diseases and reducing hazards to human and nonhuman animal health, in accordance with the One Health principles set forth by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
(b) The State Department of Public Health, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife shall develop the framework for the One Health Program in consultation with stakeholders, which may include, but are not limited to, the One Health Office of the CDC, the Medical Board of California, the Veterinary Medical Board, agricultural programs, institutes, or schools within the University of California system or California State University system, animal welfare organizations, and community-based organizations.
(c) (1) The State Department of Public Health, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, in developing the framework, shall establish goals, identify activities necessary to achieve those goals, and recommend legislation or other actions to advance One Health efforts.
(2) The three departments shall periodically post joint reports on their respective internet websites and shall submit the joint reports to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, containing the information described in paragraph (1).
(d) Upon the three departments’ initial development of the framework described in this section, the Legislative Analyst’s Office shall submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a single report containing both of the following:
(1) An assessment of whether the framework is a reasonable approach to meeting the purpose of the One Health Program as described in this section.
(2) Recommendations for ways in which the Legislature could conduct regular oversight of the framework’s implementation.
(e) This section shall be implemented subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for the purposes described in this section.