Section 17-602 - Registry Program. - Maryland Statutes

§ 17-602. Registry Program.
 

(a)  Establishment.- There is a Biological Agents Registry Program in the Department. 

(b)  Duties.- The Biological Agents Registry shall: 

(1) Identify the biological agents possessed and maintained by any person in this State; and 

(2) Contain other information as required by regulations adopted by the Department. 

(c)  Regulations.- The Department shall adopt regulations for the implementation of the Program that: 

(1) Determine and list the biological agents required to be reported under this subtitle; 

(2) Designate the persons required to make reports and the specific information required to be reported; 

(3) Designate time limits for reporting, the form of reports, and the persons to whom reports are to be submitted; 

(4) Require local jurisdictions to be informed of the location and nature of each biological agent in the Registry that is located within the local jurisdiction; 

(5) Provide for the release of information in the Biological Agents Registry to: 

(i) State and federal law enforcement agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pursuant to a communicable disease investigation commenced or conducted by the Department or other State or federal law enforcement agency having investigatory authority, or in connection with any investigation involving release, theft, or loss of biological agents; 

(ii) The Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment for the purposes of planning for the protection of the public in relation to the release of a biological agent and the prevention of a release of a biological agent; and 

(iii) The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems for the purposes of providing certain specified information to: 

1. A police officer, as defined in § 3-201(e) of the Public Safety Article, responding to an emergency; and 

2. A fire, rescue, or emergency medical services entity, as defined in § 7-101 of the Public Safety Article, performing emergency services, responding to a fire or other emergency, or dispatched on a call for emergency services; 

(6) Establish a system of safeguards that requires persons possessing, maintaining, and transferring biological agents subject to this subtitle to comply with the same federal standards that apply to persons registered to transfer the same agents under federal law; and 

(7) Establish a process for persons that possess and maintain biological agents to alert appropriate authorities of unauthorized possession or attempted possession of biological agents. 
 

[2002, ch. 361; 2004, ch. 59.]