Pathways Through Pandemics Task Force.

Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, under the direction of the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, which includes, among other departments, the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law establishes various programs for the prevention and control of communicable diseases, including programs that provide for the testing for, notifications of exposure to, and tracking by the state of, communicable diseases. This bill would establish, in the California Health and Human Services Agency, the Pathways Through Pandemics Task Force to study lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop strategies to navigate future pandemics. The bill would require the task force to convene various entities to engage in discussions on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, develop and recommend best practices for an equitable response to future pandemics, and determine the impact of state laws on coordinating the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as specified. The bill would require the task force to report its findings to the Legislature, as specified, on or before December 1, 2024, and would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2025.