Emergency and disaster response exercises: infectious diseases.

(1) The California Emergency Services Act sets forth the duties of state and local agencies in emergency and disaster preparedness and response generally. This bill would additionally require, pursuant to the act, that the State Department of Public Health and local public health departments, when conducting emergency or disaster preparedness exercises relating to the outbreak of an infectious disease, establish a process to identify any deficiencies in the preparedness plans and procedures and track implementation of corrective measures, according to specified criteria. The bill would require the department to make an after-action report available either by posting it on the department's Internet Web site, providing it upon request, or both. By imposing a new duty on local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.