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H8365APublic Health

Health and Safety - International Public Health Collaboration

Allows the Rhode Island Department of Health to collaborate with international organizations to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks.

Introduced58 Yea9 Nay8 Not voting
Population
Affected
65
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 27, 2026Committee House Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This bill allows the Rhode Island Department of Health to collaborate with international organizations, like the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks. It permits the state to share data, participate in training, and voluntarily send public health workers to assist with disease responses. The bill strictly requires all data sharing to follow state and federal privacy laws, such as HIPAA. It also guarantees that joining these networks will not transfer any state lawmaking or regulatory power to international organizations.

For younger readers

This bill lets Rhode Island's health department work together with health groups from all over the world. By sharing information and working as a team, they can help stop sicknesses from spreading. Sometimes, doctors or health workers from Rhode Island might even travel to help other places if they want to. The bill makes sure that everyone's private medical information stays safe and secret. It also makes sure that Rhode Island gets to keep making its own rules, and the world groups can't boss the state around.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Department of Health personnelPublic health workersRhode Island residents
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill explicitly protects state sovereignty and individual privacy rights, ensuring compliance with existing federal and state privacy statutes (like HIPAA) and affirming that regulatory and policymaking authority remains entirely with the state.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Enhances public health infrastructure by allowing the state to participate in global disease surveillance and outbreak response networks, better protecting the community from infectious diseases.
  • Fosters international cooperation and knowledge sharing, enabling public health workers to receive advanced training and assist in global health crises.
  • Explicitly protects individual privacy rights by mandating compliance with HIPAA and state confidentiality statutes while participating in data-sharing initiatives.
  • Voluntary deployment of state public health personnel to international outbreaks could potentially strain local health resources if not managed carefully.
  • The bill does not mandate additional funding to support these new international collaboration efforts, which could limit the state's actual ability to participate.
  • Relying on federal and international coordination might inadvertently delay rapid local responses if bureaucratic hurdles emerge during a crisis.
For Conservatives
  • Explicitly prohibits the transfer of state regulatory or policymaking authority to international organizations, strongly safeguarding state sovereignty.
  • Mandates strict adherence to federal and state privacy laws, ensuring that individually identifiable health information is protected from international overreach.
  • Ensures that the deployment of state public health personnel to assist in outbreak investigations is strictly voluntary rather than a mandatory obligation.
  • Involves the state in international collaborations coordinated by the World Health Organization, an entity viewed with deep suspicion by many conservatives regarding its influence and transparency.
  • Authorizes data-sharing initiatives with international organizations, raising concerns about the security of citizen health data despite stated privacy protections.
  • Expands the scope and reach of the state health department into global affairs, potentially diverting focus and taxpayer resources away from local domestic issues.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 33 additions

SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 23-106-1. Definitions. As used in this chapter:

(1) “Department” means the Rhode Island department of health.

(2) “Global outbreak response network” means an international collaboration of public health institutions coordinated by the World Health Organization or similar international public health authority for the purpose of disease surveillance and outbreak response.

(3) “Public health collaboration agreement” means an agreement between the department and a national or international public health entity to share expertise, training, surveillance information, or technical assistance related to infectious disease response. 23-106-2. Authority of the department. The department is authorized to:

(1) Participate in international public-health collaboration network including, but not limited, to the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (“GOARN”).

(2) Enter into public-health collaboration agreements with federal agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, and public-health authorities.

(3) Designate a state public-health office, department of health laboratory, or program as the institutional partner representing the state in such networks.

(4) Participate in training programs, data-sharing initiatives, and technical assistance programs related to outbreak detection and response.

(5) Provide voluntary deployment of qualified public-health personnel where possible to assist in outbreak investigations or response efforts coordinated through such networks. 23-106-3. Privacy and legal protections. Participation authorized under this chapter shall:

(1) Comply with all applicable federal and state privacy laws.

(2) Protect individually identifiable health information consistent with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and state public health confidentiality statutes.

(3) Not transfer regulatory or policymaking authority of the state to any international organization. 23-106-4. Coordination with federal authorities. The department shall coordinate participation in international public-health collaboration networks with relevant agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when appropriate.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.