AB 2541 Summary

• Eliminates the exemption from electronic reporting for HIV infections, requiring health care providers and laboratories to report all HIV cases to local health officers using patient names instead of anonymous reporting.

• Expands information disclosure provisions for HIV/AIDS public health records to allow further sharing among public health agencies for disease surveillance, medical care coordination, and CDC reporting when persons are coinfected with HIV, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases.

• Increases maximum civil penalties for negligent disclosure of confidential HIV/AIDS records from unspecified amounts to up to $5,000, and increases willful or malicious disclosure penalties to $5,000-$25,000, plus adds criminal misdemeanor penalties of up to one year imprisonment or $25,000 fine.

• Requires state and local health department employees and contractors to sign confidentiality agreements that include penalty information and breach reporting procedures before accessing confidential HIV-related public health records.

• Prohibits disclosure of reported HIV cases to the federal government except as permitted under specified public health purposes, and requires investigation and reporting of any breaches of confidentiality to law enforcement.