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reshuffled all of the work and duties of the lab and the related staff and decided to eliminate one position for which funding would not be available in FY 2014. The Governor’s recommendation includes eliminating funding and authorization for one position, consistent with the request. The Assembly concurred.

All Other Salaries and Benefits. The Department requested $5.7 million from all sources for salaries and benefits for 55.5 full-time equivalent positions for the Health Laboratory, including $4.5 million from general revenues and $1.3 million from federal funds. This is $0.4 million more than enacted, including $0.3 million more from general revenues. The request includes turnover savings from assuming one vacancy for the full year, consistent with the enacted budget and makes various adjustments to staffing levels for a net increase of 4.1 positions transferred from other programs. The Governor recommended $40,476 less than requested, including $31,152 from general revenues to reflect statewide benefit savings. The Assembly reduced general revenue expenditures by $125,000 to reflect additional turnover savings.

Food Emergency Response. The Department requested $66,000, $106,500 less than enacted, from federal funds for equipment, supplies, personnel, training and facility upgrades to Food Emergency Response Laboratory Network (FERN) microbiological laboratories in Rhode Island.

Governor’s recommendation is $1,112 more than requested from shifting statewide benefit savings from non-general revenue sources to miscellaneous operating expenses. The Assembly concurred. All Other Operations. The Department requested $1.5 million from all sources for all other operations in the Health Laboratory program, including $1.4 million from general revenues and $0.1 million from federal funds. The request includes $0.6 million for biological sciences, $0.4 million for forensic sciences, $0.1 million for environmental sciences and $0.4 million for the director’s office and centralized costs.

This is $0.2 million less than what was spent in FY 2012 and is $0.3 million less than enacted, including $0.1 million less from general revenues and $0.2 million less from federal funds. Consistent with the revised request, general revenue reductions include billing services and computer software and hardware expenditures related to toxicology, environmental lab services and lab administration; however, it appears these reductions are requested to utilize the general revenues for the Division’s staffing needs. Federal fund reductions include engineering and medical services related to forensic casework DNA backlog processing, since the backlog has been reduced. The Governor included $7,121 more than requested to reflect statewide benefit savings from non-general revenue sources shifted to miscellaneous operating expenses. The Assembly concurred.

Target - ARRA Infectious Diseases Grant. As part of its constrained request, the Department proposed the elimination of $16,187 from federal stimulus funds for infectious diseases. The reduction includes $12,000 for centralized state information technology services and $4,187 for administrative and audit fees. The Department did not provide an explanation for this decrease. The Governor recommended the reduction, consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred. Target - Highway Safety. As part of its constrained request, the Department proposed the reduction of $13,500 from federal funds for highway safety programs, including expenditures for furniture and travel. The Department has not provided an explanation for this decrease. The Governor recommended a reduction of $12,526 from the enacted level, which is $974 more than the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.

Target - Drinking Water. As part of its constrained request, the Department proposed reducing general revenue expenditures by $106,620 for supplies for the pesticides and chemistry water programs, citing available restricted receipt funding from the drinking water special surveillance project; however, the constrained request did not increase restricted receipts to account for the transfer of expenses. The Governor’s recommendation includes these reductions, consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.

Target - Lab Administration. As part of its constrained request, the Department proposed reducing general revenue expenditures by $28,440 by bringing billing and accounts receivable services provided by third party for environmental laboratory water testing in-house. The Department’s current contract expires soon and it had already posted requests for proposals for new contracts, which the Department

Salaries and Benefits. The Department requested expenditures of $2.9 million from all sources for salary and benefit expenses for 26.4 full-time equivalent positions for the Infectious Disease and Epidemiology program. This is $0.2 million less than enacted, including $0.1 million more from general revenues and $0.3 million less from federal funds. The request includes turnover savings for approximately one position for one-quarter of the year, adjustments upward and down to numerous positions and reflects the net transfer of 4.0 positions out to other programs within the Department. The Governor’s recommendation is $16,228 less than requested, including $7,064 less from general revenues to reflect statewide benefit savings. The Assembly concurred.

Target - Direct Observation Therapy Staffing. As part of its constrained request, the Department eliminated staffing expenditures of $125,113, including $124,115 from general revenues, and authorization for 2.0 full-time equivalent positions that provide direct observation therapy to individuals with tuberculosis. The constrained request shifted $50,000 from federal staffing expenses to a grant for tuberculosis control, which is still available and reduces expenditures by $998. In this program, staff members provide direct services to individuals who have been treated for tuberculosis by observing the individuals taking their medications on schedule and following the prescribed directions for recovery, ensuring individuals complete their treatment cycles. Failure to take medicines on schedule or complete treatment properly can result in drug resistance or the need for more medication for the individual and poses a public health threat as tuberculosis is highly communicable. Services will not be completely eliminated, but no longer be provided at the current level, forcing the Department to limit services to those individuals least likely to abide by the prescribed regimen. The Governor did not recommend eliminating this funding or authorization for this program. The Assembly concurred.

Communicable Diseases. The Department requested FY 2014 expenditures of $0.6 million for communicable disease treatment and prevention, which is $0.1 million less than enacted from general revenues. Consistent with the revised request, it includes $50,000 less for the Miriam Hospital TB Clinic to reflect a reduction for the contract the state has with the hospital for treatment of tuberculosis at the first signs. The Department and the hospital have been working with the community to provide another treatment option for patients with a latent tuberculosis infection. It also shifted $22,598 for insurance and travel expenses to be supported by restricted receipts in central management. It appears that these general revenue reductions were, at least in part, being used to pay for the increased general revenue funded staffing expenditures. The Governor recommended funding as requested. The Assembly concurred.

All Other Operations. The Department requested expenditures of $1.4 million from all sources, $14,290 more than enacted for all other Infectious Disease and Epidemiology operations. This includes $78,120 more for Epidemiology and Lab Capacity through the Affordable Care Act, revisions to disease prevention grants to reflect actual awards for FY 2014, as well as a reduction in the expenses eligible for Medicaid administrative reimbursement. The Governor’s recommendation is $58,734 more than requested from federal funds, including additional grant funding of $50,000 for tuberculosis control, $9,164 more from shifting statewide benefit savings from non-general revenue sources to miscellaneous operating expenses and $430 less for centralized state fleet expenses. The Assembly concurred.

Target - Medical Supply Reserves. As part of its constrained request, the Department proposed a reduction in the purchase of medical and office supplies for general revenue savings of $41,405. The Department indicated that this eliminates the reserves it sets aside to handle outbreaks or epidemics and

Governor’s recommendation includes $41,405 in savings, consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.

Public Health Information

1.0 Position Elimination. The Department’s request eliminated 1.0 health policy analyst for savings