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Bill Summary · LC 1424

LC 1424 — Create Department of Health Services (Draft Ready for Delivery)

Overview

LC 1424 proposes establishing a new state department titled the Department of Health Services. The bill is categorized under Appropriations, Health, Rule Making, and State Government. It is currently in draft form, with the latest Legislative Actions showing preparatory steps in March 2025 (final draft in Assembly), following an introduction on November 14, 2024. This bill is a structural reorganization proposal rather than a stand-alone program expansion.

Purpose and Intent

  • Centralize and streamline governance of health-related functions under a single department.
  • Improve coordination of public health, health services delivery, regulatory activities, and safety programs.
  • Create a unified rulemaking framework to ensure consistent health standards and safety oversight across the state.
  • Align health policy with the state’s broader budget and administrative priorities through a consolidated agency structure.

What the bill would do (Key Provisions)

  • Establishes the Department of Health Services as a new state entity (organization to be defined in the bill) responsible for health services, public health programs, health facilities regulation, and related safety functions.
  • Creates authority for the department to adopt rules and regulations governing health care services, public health activities, licensure/registration of health professionals and facilities, and safety standards.
  • Provides for the department’s programmatic responsibilities, which may include disease prevention, health promotion, health equity initiatives, and regulatory oversight of health-related facilities and entities.
  • Addresses administrative aspects essential to operation, such as staffing, organizational structure, and internal controls necessary to administer health programs and enforce regulations.
  • Includes funding and budgetary provisions to support the department’s operations, with appropriation mechanisms and potential transfers of funds from existing agencies as part of the transition (exact amounts and sources to be defined in the fiscal language).

Governance and Administration

  • A leadership structure (e.g., a secretary or similar executive) to oversee the department and its divisions.
  • Potential transfer of duties, personnel, property, and IT/operational systems from current health-related agencies as part of the reorganization, subject to bill details.
  • Rulemaking authority to establish statewide health standards and compliance requirements.

Funding and Fiscal Considerations

  • Requires state appropriations to fund operations, programs, and regulatory activities of the new department.
  • Fiscal effects and exact appropriation levels to be determined during budget deliberations and included in the bill’s fiscal notes.

Transition Timeline and Procedural Status

  • Introduced: November 14, 2024.
  • Draft status: Draft in Final Drafter Review and Ready for Delivery as of March 2025; Assembly drafting actions noted in March 2025.
  • Process path: If enacted, would require standard legislative steps (committee consideration, passage by both chambers, and signature) and a transition plan to implement the department.

Affected Parties and Impacts

  • State residents and beneficiaries of health programs, who would be served by a centralized health governance structure.
  • Health care facilities, licensees, and health professionals subject to regulation and licensure under the department’s rulemaking and enforcement.
  • State government operations, including agencies currently performing health services and regulatory functions, which may undergo structural changes during implementation.

Notes

  • As a draft bill, specific organizational details, staffing levels, authority scopes, and fiscal figures are subject to revision. Readers should monitor upcoming committee hearings and fiscal analyses for concrete provisions and potential amendments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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