CA SB275

Requires the State Department of Public Health and Office of Emergency Services to establish a statewide personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile within one year upon appropriation, with guidelines for procurement, management, and distribution based on 90-day pandemic supply needs for all health care and essential workers.

Mandates health care employers (hospitals, health facilities, dialysis clinics, integrated medical practices) maintain an inventory of new, unexpired PPE sufficient for 45 days of surge consumption, commencing January 1, 2023, or one year after regulations are adopted, whichever is later.

Establishes civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation for health care employers failing to maintain required PPE inventory or provide inventory information to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health upon request.

Authorizes the Department of Industrial Relations to exempt health care employers from civil penalties if supply chain limitations make compliance infeasible and the employer made reasonable efforts to obtain PPE, or if circumstances beyond their control prevented compliance.

Creates the Personal Protective Equipment Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, physician associations, health care and essential worker labor organizations, PPE manufacturers, consumers, counties, and state agencies to make recommendations for PPE procurement and distribution guidelines.