State Department of Public Health: needle and syringe exchange services.

Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to authorize certain entities to apply to the department to provide hypodermic needle and syringe exchange services in any location where the department determines that the conditions exist for the rapid spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) , viral hepatitis, or any other potentially deadly or disabling infections that are spread through the sharing of used hypodermic needles and syringes, and requires the department to provide for a period of public comment during that application process, as specified. Existing law prescribes the standards that apply to an entity that has been authorized to provide these services. Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act, requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would expressly exempt the above-described needle and syringe exchange services application submissions, authorizations, and operations from review under the California Environmental Quality Act. The bill would declare that this provision is intended to be declaratory of existing law. The bill would state that the provisions relating to needle exchange programs are severable.