PRINTER'S NO. 1649
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1124
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, ARGALL, PHILLIPS-HILL, PITTMAN AND
STEFANO, APRIL 20, 2020
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, APRIL 20, 2020
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 23, 1956 (1955 P.L.1510, No.500),
entitled "An act providing for the prevention and control of
communicable and non-communicable diseases including venereal
diseases, fixing responsibility for disease prevention and
control, requiring reports of diseases, and authorizing
treatment of venereal diseases, and providing for premarital
and prenatal blood tests; amending, revising and
consolidating the laws relating thereto; and repealing
certain acts," further providing for confidentiality of
reports and records; and abrogating a regulation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 15 of the act of April 23, 1956 (1955
P.L.1510, No.500), known as the Disease Prevention and Control
Law of 1955, is amended to read:
Section 15. Confidentiality of Reports and Records.--(a)
Except as set forth in subsection (b), State and local health
authorities may not disclose reports of diseases, any records
maintained as a result of any action taken in consequence of
such reports, or any other records maintained pursuant to this
act or any regulations, to any person who is not a member of the
department or of a local board or department of health[, except
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where].
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply as follows:
(1) If disclosure is necessary to carry out the purposes of
this act.
(2) If there is a declaration by the Governor of a disaster
emergency under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(c) (relating to general
authority of Governor) related to a pandemic.
(c) State and local health authorities may permit the use of
data contained in disease reports and other records, maintained
pursuant to this act, or any regulation, for research purposes,
subject to strict supervision by the health authorities to
insure that the use of the reports and records is limited to the
specific research purposes.
Section 2. The provisions of 28 Pa. Code § 27.5a (relating
to confidentiality of case reports) are abrogated to the extent
they are inconsistent with the addition of section 15(b)(2) of
the act.
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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