The Oklahoma Legislature finds that:

1. The government must do more to protect the health, safety, and general well-being of its citizens during a catastrophic health emergency;

2. New and emerging dangers, including emergent and resurgent infectious diseases and incidents of civilian mass casualties, pose serious and immediate threats during a catastrophic health emergency;

3. A renewed focus on the prevention, detection, management, and containment of catastrophic health emergencies is needed;

4. Catastrophic health emergency threats, including those caused by nuclear, biological or chemical events, may require the exercise of extraordinary government powers and functions;

5. This state must have the ability to respond, rapidly and effectively, to potential or actual catastrophic health emergencies;

6. The exercise of catastrophic health emergency powers must promote the common good;

7. Catastrophic emergency health powers must be grounded in a thorough scientific understanding of public health threats and disease transmission;

8. Guided by principles of justice and antidiscrimination, it is the duty of this state to act with fairness and tolerance towards individuals and groups during catastrophic health emergencies;

9. The rights of people to liberty, bodily integrity, and privacy must be respected to the fullest extent possible consistent with maintaining and preserving the health and security of the public during a catastrophic health emergency;

10. This act is necessary to protect the health and safety of the citizens of this state during a catastrophic health emergency; and

11. The provisions of Sections 9 through 25 of this act shall only be activated upon the occurrence of a catastrophic health emergency.

Added by Laws 2003, c. 473, § 2.