(a) The Department of Public Health may establish, maintain and control state laboratories to perform examinations of supposed morbid tissues, other laboratory tests for the diagnosis and control of preventable diseases, and laboratory work in the field of sanitation, environmental and occupational testing and research studies for the protection and preservation of the public health. Such laboratory services shall be performed upon the application of licensed physicians, other laboratories, licensed dentists, licensed podiatrists, local directors of health, public utilities or state departments or institutions, subject to regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Public Health, and upon payment of any applicable fee as provided in this subsection. For such purposes the department may provide necessary buildings and apparatus, employ, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, administrative and scientific personnel and assistants and do all things necessary for the conduct of such laboratories. The Commissioner of Public Health may establish a schedule of fees, provided the commissioner waives the fees for local directors of health and local law enforcement agencies. If the commissioner establishes a schedule of fees, the commissioner may waive (1) the fees, in full or in part, for others if the commissioner determines that the public health requires a waiver, and (2) fees for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing for nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education if the organization or institution provides combination chlamydia and gonorrhea test kits. The commissioner shall also establish a fair handling fee which a client of a state laboratory may charge a person or third party payer for arranging for the services of the laboratory. Such client shall not charge an amount in excess of such handling fee.

(b) The Department of Public Health shall ensure that the new state public health laboratory, to be constructed in the town of Rocky Hill, and authorized in accordance with the provisions of subsection (e) of section 2 of special act 01-2 of the June special session, subsection (g) of section 2 of special act 04-2 of the May special session and subsection (o) of section 2 of public act 07-7 of the June special session* is constructed and thereafter operates in accordance with all applicable biosafety level criteria as prescribed by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Health and Safety. The construction of such laboratory shall facilitate the operation and administration of a laboratory that conforms with biosafety level 3 criteria as prescribed by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Health and Safety. The design or construction of such laboratory shall not permit biosafety level 4 activities to be conducted at such laboratory. No activity shall be conducted at the new state public health laboratory that exceeds biosafety level 3, nor shall any person, entity or state agency make application or seek permission to convert the public health laboratory into a facility that engages in biosafety level 4 activities.

(1949 Rev., S. 3807; 1949, S. 2037d; P.A. 76-396, S. 1, 3; P.A. 77-496; 77-614, S. 19, 323, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 84-77; P.A. 90-13, S. 1; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8, S. 24, 88; P.A. 98-250, S. 12, 39; P.A. 99-125, S. 1, 6; P.A. 07-252, S. 6; P.A. 08-184, S. 54; P.A. 10-117, S. 74.)

*Note: Section 2 of public act 07-7 of the June special session is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

History: P.A. 76-396 replaced “examinations” with “laboratory services”, required adherence to regulations of health commissioner and added provision re imposition of schedule of fees, replacing previous requirement that services be performed free of charge; P.A. 77-496 added Subdiv. (3) allowing no charge for services where public health requires that no charge be made; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced commissioner of finance and control with secretary of the office of policy and management and, effective January 1, 1979, replaced commissioner and department of health with commissioner and department of health services; Sec. 19-7 transferred to Sec. 19a-26 in 1983; P.A. 84-77 deleted the authority of the secretary of the office of policy and management to establish a schedule of fees for laboratory services performed by state laboratories and deleted obsolete provision which had allowed performance of lab services without charge for state agencies until July 1, 1977; P.A. 90-13 added language on environmental and occupational testing, other laboratories, public utilities, fair market value and the handling fee; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8 exempted local law enforcement agencies from charge for laboratory services, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-250 authorized commissioner to waive fees for chlamydia and gonorrhea for nonprofit organizations providing kits, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-125 changed fees from “directly related to operating costs or fair market value” to “based upon nationally recognized standards and performance measures for analytic work effort”, and changed provision allowing services “without charge” to required waiver of charges in Subdiv. (1) and permissive waiver in full or in part in Subdiv. (2), effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 07-252 made establishment of a fee schedule for state laboratory services discretionary rather than mandatory, eliminated requirement that fees be based upon nationally recognized standards and performance measures and made technical changes; P.A. 08-184 amended Subdiv. (2) to expand fee waiver for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing to institutions of higher education, effective July 1, 2008; P.A. 10-117 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), made a technical change therein and added Subsec. (b) re construction and subsequent operation of new state public health laboratory, effective June 8, 2010.