81R10239 ALB-D
By: Rios Ybarra, Anderson, Gonzales, Hunter, H.B. No. 1948
Martinez
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a public health extension service pilot program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subtitle F, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 123 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 123. PUBLIC HEALTH EXTENSION SERVICE
PILOT PROGRAM
Sec. 123.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Department" means the Department of State Health
Services.
(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
(3) "Program" means the public health extension
service pilot program established under this chapter.
Sec. 123.002. PROGRAM ESTABLISHED; PURPOSES. The
department shall establish a public health extension service pilot
program in Health Service Region 11, a region of the state that may
be particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
other emergencies. The purpose of the program is to:
(1) support local public health and medical
infrastructure and promote:
(A) disease control and medical preparedness;
and
(B) biosecurity and the detection of the
introduction of dangerous biologic agents, enhanced availability
of environmental and toxicologic pathology services, and
management of hazardous materials; and
(2) evaluate the effectiveness of a public health
extension service program for regions of the state that may be
particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
other emergencies.
Sec. 123.003. RULES. The executive commissioner may adopt
rules for the implementation and administration of the program.
Sec. 123.004. PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. The department may
contract with The Texas A&M University System or The University of
Texas System, or both systems, to implement or administer all or any
part of the program.
Sec. 123.005. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES. Through the program, the
department may implement projects and systems to accomplish the
purposes of the program described by Section 123.002, and may:
(1) provide support for regional disaster medical
assistance teams and tactical medical operations incident
management teams;
(2) establish a disaster training and exercise
program;
(3) establish and equip caches to ensure local
availability of necessary medical supplies and equipment for use in
disasters and other emergencies;
(4) establish a regionally based system of emergency
medical logistics management to support state and federal emergency
management authorities that includes:
(A) local patient triage sites; and
(B) local emergency medical operations; and
(5) establish a regionally based system to provide
technical assistance for disaster mitigation and recovery.
Sec. 123.006. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2010, the
department shall report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
speaker of the house of representatives on the program. The report
shall include recommendations for continuation of the program and
expansion of the program to other regions of the state that may be
particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
other emergencies.
Sec. 123.007. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires and the
program is abolished September 2, 2011.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.