Relating to the establishment and administration of a state vaccine adverse event reporting system and a state vaccine injury compensation program, and providing a standing appropriation

The state system and state program shall also provide technical assistance and training to health care providers who administer vaccines to ensure health care providers respond to and report all potential vaccine injury cases brought to the health care providers’ attention; and shall work with health professional licensing boards and professional organizations to provide continuing education and vaccine safety and efficacy training for all health care providers based on information provided by the centers for disease control and prevention of the United States department of health and human services, the federal food and drug administration, the national vaccine injury compensation program, vaccine manufacturer package inserts, and current research. The state system and state program are also required to annually provide a public forum on vaccine adverse events that includes participants who are vaccine injury victims. HHS shall establish a vaccine injury board to advise HHS in administering the state system and state program. The board shall be composed of health care providers, and at least one-half of the members of the board shall be vaccine injury victims or parents or legal guardians of victims who are minors. HHS shall provide an annual report to the governor and the general assembly regarding the number of vaccine adverse event reports made and the amount of compensation provided through the state system and the state program. HHS shall adopt administrative rules to administer the state system and the state program. The bill also establishes a state vaccine injury compensation program trust fund in the office of the treasurer of state. The trust fund consists of moneys appropriated annually from the general fund of the state for deposit in the state vaccine injury compensation program trust fund in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of compensation of vaccine injuries as provided under the state program. The moneys in the trust fund are appropriated to HHS to be used only for compensation of vaccine injuries as provided under the state program.