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Bill

A 2291

Establishes State stockpile of medicine and medical supplies; makes appropriation.

2026-2027 Regular Session

Creates a Statewide essential buffer stock of medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies to improve emergency preparedness and prevent shortages, prioritizing rural and underserved

Reported and Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee
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Bill Summary · A 2291

Summary of Bill A 2291 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Purpose and core aim
- Establishes a Statewide strategic buffer system for medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies to improve emergency preparedness and prevent drug shortages.
- Designed to support the health care system, educational settings, and the general population, with emphasis on rural and medically underserved areas during emergencies or disasters.

Key definitions
- Department: New Jersey Department of Health.
- State Office of Emergency Management: In the Division of State Police, Department of Law and Public Safety.
- Essential buffer stock: An inventory of emergency and chronic-disease medications, vaccines, medical supplies, an essential medicine reserve, or a strategic inventory of essential medicines.
- Virtually sequestered buffer stock: An inventory managed by a distribution vendor to prevent expiration and ensure availability during emergencies.
- Designated recipients: Healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, state disaster relief organizations, state-operated facilities, and other entities that may receive resources from the buffer stock.
- Natural disaster / Outbreak: Broadly defined events that trigger use of the stock (e.g., hurricanes, pandemics, mass casualty events).

Main purpose and intent
- Create a Statewide essential buffer stock for emergency preparedness and drug shortage prevention.
- Ensure availability of medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies in emergencies at both local and state levels.

Key provisions and changes
1. Establishment and governance
- The Department of Health, in collaboration with the State Office of Emergency Management, must establish the Statewide essential buffer stock for use during public health emergencies, outbreaks, or other emergencies (natural disasters, man-made disasters, mass casualty events).

  1. Guidelines and planning

    • Develop guidelines for procurement, management, and distribution of items in the buffer stock, including:
      • Types of items required during emergencies.
      • Quantities needed for sustained emergencies.
      • An action plan for surge capacity, including a virtually sequestered buffer stock to ensure access for hospitals and other designated recipients.
      • Alignment with applicable federal and state policies and funding.
      • Prioritization criteria for distribution when resources are insufficient, with consideration for:
      • Rural or underserved locations/recipients
      • Medically underserved areas as designated by HRSA
      • Entities serving disproportionately underserved or rural populations
      • Counties with high infection or hospitalization rates

  2. Eligible recipients

    • The Department (with the Office of Emergency Management and other agencies) will define which entities may receive buffer stock resources under specified qualifying circumstances.

  3. Private sector contracting and management

    • The Department may contract with a private entity for:
      • Procurement, management, and distribution of buffer stock, including a virtually sequestered stock.
      • Reservation of supplies stored by a private vendor for buffer stock and distribution to designated locations, consistent with the guidelines.

  4. Demand planning and modeling

    • Conduct demand planning and modeling to determine which supplies are included, considering:
      • Items particularly needed for rural/underserved settings
      • Anticipated demand for various emergency scenarios
      • Recommended stock quantities by item
      • Distribution guidelines to municipalities and healthcare settings
      • Cost-reduction strategies, including external vendor arrangements

  5. Funding

    • The department should maximize available federal and state funding to implement the act.

  6. Rules and regulations

    • The Commissioner of Health and the Director of the State Office of Emergency Management may adopt regulations as needed to implement the act.

  7. Appropriation

    • There is an appropriation from the General Fund to the Department of Health sufficient to implement the act (unspecified amount in the bill text; “such sums as are necessary”).

  8. Effective date

    • Takes effect 180 days after enactment, with the possibility for anticipatory action by the Commissioner of Health to begin preparations earlier.

Additional notes
- The bill emphasizes resilience in rural and underserved communities and aims to reduce shortages during emergencies.
- It contemplates potential private-sector partnerships to manage and distribute stock and to maintain a virtually sequestered stock to minimize expirations and ensure availability.
- The act envisions ongoing demand planning, modeling, and operations research to optimize stock composition and distribution.

Potential impact
- Hospitals, clinics, and other designated healthcare entities would gain access to a prioritized buffer stock during emergencies.
- The State would have a formal framework for stockpiling and distributing critical medicines, vaccines, and supplies.
- Private vendors could play a significant role in stock maintenance and logistics, potentially improving efficiency and expiration management.
- Rural and underserved areas could experience improved access to essential medical resources during disasters or outbreaks.

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

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