Senate Bill sb0706
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 706
By Senator Fasano
11-677-06 See HB 311
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to vaccine production
3 facilities; providing incentives for vaccine
4 production facilities to produce certain
5 vaccines; exempting certain business entities
6 from liability under certain circumstances;
7 establishing a loan and loan guarantee program;
8 requiring the Department of Health to purchase
9 a portion of vaccines produced in the state for
10 a specified period of time; providing an
11 effective date.
12
13 WHEREAS, the adequacy of our country's supply of
14 vaccines has been called into question because of the growing
15 demand for the influenza vaccine and other vaccines in
16 response to the exhortations of public health officials, and
17 WHEREAS, this growing demand for vaccines has increased
18 the pressure on the nation's domestic suppliers and created
19 the potential for a major public health crisis, and
20 WHEREAS, the issue of the inadequacy of vaccine
21 supplies to meet the needs of our citizens, and particularly
22 to protect the public against influenza, which kills some
23 36,000 Americans each year, has now advanced to the forefront
24 of the public health agenda, and
25 WHEREAS, urgent action is needed to augment the limited
26 domestic vaccine supply, especially the supply of influenza
27 vaccine, in order to protect the health of the American
28 public, not only those individuals who are most at risk from
29 vaccine-preventable diseases but also the rest of the
30 population as well, and
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 706
11-677-06 See HB 311
1 WHEREAS, given the impediment to the increased
2 production of vaccines created by the regulatory requirements
3 imposed by the United States Food and Drug Administration, the
4 state should offer financial incentives to pharmaceutical
5 manufacturers to increase the production of vaccines and
6 thereby ensure their availability in quantities that are
7 adequate to protect the most vulnerable individuals in the
8 state and to permit the rest of the citizens of the state who
9 wish to be vaccinated to receive this protection as well, NOW,
10 THEREFORE,
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Vaccine production facilities; incentives
15 for vaccine production; liability; loan program.--
16 (1) The Department of Health shall conduct an outreach
17 campaign to encourage pharmaceutical companies located in this
18 state to produce vaccines for the prevention of communicable
19 diseases and to encourage pharmaceutical companies located
20 outside of this state to establish facilities in this state to
21 produce vaccines for the prevention of communicable diseases.
22 (2) A business, corporation, sole proprietorship,
23 partnership, subchapter S corporation, limited liability
24 corporation, nonprofit corporation, consortium, or other
25 business entity located in this state that in good faith
26 develops or produces vaccines for the prevention of
27 communicable diseases shall not be held liable for civil
28 damages for any act or omission, except for knowing and
29 willful acts or omissions, in the development or production of
30 vaccines for the prevention of communicable diseases which are
31
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 706
11-677-06 See HB 311
1 approved for market distribution by the United States Food and
2 Drug Administration.
3 (3) The Department of Health shall establish a loan
4 and loan guarantee program to increase the financing available
5 to fund the costs incurred by new or expanded production
6 facilities in the state which produce vaccines for the
7 prevention of communicable diseases, including, but not
8 limited to, the influenza virus. Loans or loan guarantees
9 shall be made available to pharmaceutical companies,
10 partnerships of such companies, and consortia of such
11 companies, provided that the production facility meets the
12 requirements of the United States Food and Drug Administration
13 to ensure the safety, efficacy, purity, and potency of the
14 vaccines produced at the facility.
15 (4) The Department of Health shall enter into an
16 agreement with each production facility that commences
17 production of vaccines for the prevention of communicable
18 diseases to purchase a portion of all vaccines produced at the
19 facility which are approved by the United States Food and Drug
20 Administration to ensure the safety, efficacy, purity, and
21 potency of the vaccine. Such an agreement may be for no more
22 than 1 year. The department shall take all actions that are
23 necessary to encourage physicians, nurses, health care
24 facilities, pharmacies, and other entities that dispense
25 vaccines in the state to obtain a portion of their vaccine
26 supply from vaccine production facilities currently located in
27 the state or facilities that commence production of vaccines
28 in the state after July 1, 2006.
29 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
30
31
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.