By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 424
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment and implementation of school-based
influenza vaccination programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Department of State Health Services and
the Texas Education Agency shall conduct a joint study of
school-based influenza vaccination programs.
(b) The Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working Group shall
establish within the working group a subcommittee composed of
representatives from:
(1) the Texas Pediatric Society;
(2) the Texas Academy of Family Physicians;
(3) the Texas Medical Association;
(4) the Texas Association of School Administrators;
(5) the Texas Association of School Boards;
(6) the Texas School Nurses Organization; and
(7) an entity with knowledge of best practices for the
effective use of state and local public health resources based on
information from other states that have implemented school-based
influenza vaccination programs.
(c) Members of the Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working
Group subcommittee shall make recommendations to the Department of
State Health Services and the Texas Education Agency regarding:
(1) the design of the survey instrument used to
collect data from schools with an influenza vaccination program
under Subsection (d)(2) of this section; and
(2) the content of the report required under
Subsection (e) of this section.
(d) The Department of State Health Services and the Texas
Education Agency shall:
(1) identify school districts in this state in which a
school-based influenza vaccination program has been conducted on or
after September 1, 2006;
(2) collect relevant data related to the programs,
including, when available:
(A) how an influenza vaccine was purchased or
obtained;
(B) a comparison of how insured and uninsured
students were managed under the program;
(C) the costs associated with administering the
program;
(D) for each school year that the program was
administered, the number of students, by grade level, that:
(i) were vaccinated, refused the vaccine,
or were not vaccinated; and
(ii) were enrolled in the school district;
(E) the number of school faculty and staff
vaccinated;
(F) student absentee rates during a school year
that the school district:
(i) administered a program; and
(ii) did not administer a program;
(G) the number of schools that closed due to
influenza or influenza-like illness and the number of days that
each school was closed;
(H) the nature and degree of involvement in the
implementation of a program of:
(i) a public health department;
(ii) other community resources; or
(iii) private health care providers; and
(I) whether the vaccinations were reported to the
immunization registry maintained by the Department of State Health
Services under Section 161.007, Health and Safety Code;
(3) identify best practices of a school district that
implemented a school-based influenza vaccination program; and
(4) identify barriers encountered by a school district
that implemented a school-based influenza program and how the
barriers were overcome.
(e) Not later than December 1, 2010, the Department of State
Health Services and the Texas Education Agency shall submit to the
governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of
representatives, and presiding officer of each standing committee
of the legislature with jurisdiction over the department and the
agency a jointly written report, based on the study, that evaluates
the feasibility of implementing an annual statewide school-based
influenza vaccination program and that includes:
(1) an analysis of the costs and benefits of
implementing school-based influenza vaccination programs;
(2) identification of barriers to implementing
school-based influenza vaccination programs and recommendations
for removing those barriers;
(3) a projection of the fiscal impact of implementing
a statewide school-based influenza vaccination program;
(4) an analysis of the impact of the programs studied
on private practice physicians and health care providers who
administer influenza vaccinations in this state, based on the
programs studied;
(5) an analysis of the impact of a statewide
school-based influenza vaccination program on private practice
physicians and health care providers who administer influenza
vaccinations in this state and recommendations for how to overcome
any barriers; and
(6) the role of public health departments and
community resources in the administration of school-based
influenza vaccination programs.
SECTION 2. This Act expires September 1, 2011.
SECTION 3. 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.