Sponsored by:
Senator ANTHONY R. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Senator KEVIN J. O'TOOLE
District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Allen
SYNOPSIS
Codifies Lyme disease reporting requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the reporting of Lyme disease and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A licensed health care professional shall report any person with a confirmed diagnosis of Lyme disease to the health officer of the jurisdiction where the individual lives, or if unknown, where the diagnosis is made, within 24 hours of diagnosis. If the health officer is unavailable, the report shall be made to the Department of Health and Senior Services.
b. The report shall include the name, age, date of birth, gender, race, ethnicity, home address and telephone number of the person who is infected with the disease; the date of onset of illness; the name, address, institution, and telephone number of the reporting official; and such other information as may be required by the Department of Health and Senior Services.
c. A licensed health care professional who fails to report a confirmed diagnosis of Lyme disease pursuant to the provisions of this act may receive written notification of this failure and a warning. Responsible parties who continue to fail to comply with these reporting requirements after receiving a warning, shall be subject to a fine pursuant to the provisions of R.S.26:4-129.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill codifies Lyme disease reporting required by regulation, pursuant to N.J.A.C.8:57-1.1 et seq., into statute.
Specifically, the bill provides that licensed health care professionals must report confirmed cases of Lyme disease to the health officer of the jurisdiction where the individual lives, or if unknown, where the diagnosis is made, within 24 hours of diagnosis. If the health officer is unavailable, the report must be made to the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Pursuant to the bill, responsible parties who fail to comply with these reporting requirements may receive written notification and a warning. Further failure to comply shall result in a fine of between $10 and $100, pursuant to the provisions of R.S.26:4-129.