Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB703 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.B. No. 703
2	2
3	3
4	4	AN ACT
5	5	relating to fall prevention awareness.
6	6	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
7	7	SECTION 1. Chapter 161, Human Resources Code, is amended by
8	8	adding Subchapter F to read as follows:
9	9	SUBCHAPTER F. FALL PREVENTION AWARENESS
10	10	Sec. 161.151. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds
11	11	that:
12	12	(1) in 2008, 1.14 million older Texans were expected
13	13	to sustain falls;
14	14	(2) the risk factors associated with falling increase
15	15	with age;
16	16	(3) approximately 20 to 30 percent of older adults who
17	17	fall suffer moderate to severe injuries, resulting in almost 80,000
18	18	hospitalizations annually and constituting 40 percent of all
19	19	nursing home placements;
20	20	(4) according to the Centers for Disease Control of
21	21	the United States Public Health Service, the total direct cost of
22	22	all fall-related injuries in 2000 for people 65 years of age and
23	23	older exceeded $19 billion nationwide; and
24	24	(5) research shows that a well-designed fall
25	25	prevention program that includes risk factor assessments, a focused
26	26	physical activity program, and improvement of the home environment
27	27	can reduce the incidence of falls by 30 to 50 percent.
28	28	Sec. 161.152. FALL PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK. The week
29	29	that begins on the first Sunday of each year that falls after the
30	30	date of the autumnal equinox is declared "Fall Prevention Awareness
31	31	Week."
32	32	Sec. 161.153. FALL PREVENTION POLICY. The department may
33	33	develop recommendations to:
34	34	(1) raise public awareness about fall prevention;
35	35	(2) educate older adults and individuals who provide
36	36	care to older adults about best practices to reduce the incidence
37	37	and risk of falls among older adults;
38	38	(3) encourage state and local governments and the
39	39	private sector to promote policies and programs that help reduce
40	40	the incidence and risk of falls among older adults;
41	41	(4) encourage area agencies on aging to include fall
42	42	prevention education in their services;
43	43	(5) develop a system for reporting falls to improve
44	44	available information on falls; and
45	45	(6) incorporate fall prevention guidelines into state
46	46	and local planning documents that affect housing, transportation,
47	47	parks, recreational facilities, and other public facilities.
48	48	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
49	49	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
50	50	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
51	51	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
52	52	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
53	53	______________________________ ______________________________
54	54	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
55	55	I certify that H.B. No. 703 was passed by the House on April
56	56	2, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 145, Nays 0, 1 present, not
57	57	voting.
58	58	______________________________
59	59	Chief Clerk of the House
60	60	I certify that H.B. No. 703 was passed by the Senate on May
61	61	12, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
62	62	______________________________
63	63	Secretary of the Senate
64	64	APPROVED: _____________________
65	65	Date
66	66	_____________________
67	67	Governor