| 1 | 1 | | 81R5803 YDB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Naishtat H.B. No. 1067 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a memorandum of understanding between certain |
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| 8 | 8 | | authorized entities to share suicide data that does not identify |
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| 9 | 9 | | any individual. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to encourage the |
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| 12 | 12 | | prompt reporting of suicide data that does not identify a deceased |
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| 13 | 13 | | individual or any other individual and to encourage use of the data |
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| 14 | 14 | | for instructive and preventive purposes. |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 193, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
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| 16 | 16 | | by adding Section 193.011 to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 193.011. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON SUICIDE DATA. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (a) In this section, "authorized entity" means a medical examiner, |
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| 19 | 19 | | a local registrar, a local health authority, a local mental health |
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| 20 | 20 | | authority, a community mental health center, a mental health center |
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| 21 | 21 | | that acts as a collection agent for the suicide data reported by |
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| 22 | 22 | | community mental health centers, or any other political subdivision |
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| 23 | 23 | | of this state. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (b) An authorized entity may enter into a memorandum of |
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| 25 | 25 | | understanding with another authorized entity to share statistical |
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| 26 | 26 | | suicide data that does not identify the deceased individual or any |
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| 27 | 27 | | other individual. The shared data must include: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) the deceased individual's age, race or national |
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| 29 | 29 | | origin, gender, and zip code of residence; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) any school or college the deceased individual was |
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| 31 | 31 | | attending at the time of death; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) the suicide method used by the deceased |
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| 33 | 33 | | individual. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) The suicide data an authorized entity receives or |
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| 35 | 35 | | provides under Subsection (b) is not confidential. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) An authorized entity that receives suicide data under a |
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| 37 | 37 | | memorandum of understanding authorized by this section may: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) release to the public any data that does not |
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| 39 | 39 | | identify a deceased individual or any other individual; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) publish the data; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) post the data on an Internet website. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) An authorized entity or an employee or agent of an |
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| 43 | 43 | | authorized entity is not civilly or criminally liable for |
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| 44 | 44 | | receiving, providing, or making public suicide data that does not |
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| 45 | 45 | | identify a deceased individual or any other individual and that may |
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| 46 | 46 | | be shared under a memorandum of understanding authorized by this |
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| 47 | 47 | | section. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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