A proposed bill is seeking to create a statewide stockpile of personal protective equipment and other supplies to prepare Colorado for another future pandemic.

If enacted, House Bill 1352 would spend nearly $2 million each year to maintain a supply of face masks, gloves and other medical-grade PPE to distribute to hospitals, vaccine clinics, schools, community centers and other organizations if the governor declares a disaster emergency.

The bill sponsor Rep. Kyle Mullica, D-Federal Heights, is an emergency room nurse who has worked on the frontlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mullica said he witnessed firsthand how ill-prepared the state was at the beginning, with hospital workers forced to reuse single-use masks and gowns due to a lack of supplies.

“That was a scary time,” Mullica said. “We need to be better prepared and that’s what we’re trying to do. … We’re showing that Colorado is going to be a leader and going to make sure that, God forbid we have another pandemic or another bad wave, that we’re prepared to protect those who take care of us.”

The House State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee advanced the bill on Thursday, sending it to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration. During Thursday’s meeting, state public health officials painted a dire picture of Colorado’s resources when the COVID-19 pandemic first reached the state in early 2020. 

The national supply chain quickly crumbled, forcing Colorado to spend approximately $50 million on PPE by June 2020, said Amanda Hettinger, director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 

“The PPE shortage here in Colorado caused a tremendous challenge for us,” Hettinger said. “The pandemic illustrated that there is a need going forward for centralized supplies within the state. The national stockpile was proven to be ineffective, and we need to work within the state to create a better stockpile.”

Kevin Klein, director of the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the state nearly entered a $10 million contract to buy PPE, before they found out at the last minute that the seller had forged the documents.

“I don’t want to do that again,” Klein said. “This bill is about being prepared to handle the next disaster. I don’t want to repeat the experience of having medical professionals like Rep. Mullica and my wife, who’s an ER doctor, who had to reuse an N95 mask a week at a time.”

Under the bill, the stockpile could also include other essential materials like shelf-stable foods and diapers, Klein said.

The committee advanced the bill in an 8-3 vote mostly along party lines. All Democrats were in support and all Republicans were in opposition except for Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs, who voted with her Democrat colleagues. None of the lawmakers who voted against the bill spoke during the meeting or explained their votes.