| 1 | 1 | | By: Deuell S.B. No. 793 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Laubenberg) |
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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 newborn hearing screening. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 47.003, Health and |
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| 10 | 10 | | Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) A birthing facility, through a program certified by the |
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| 12 | 12 | | department under Section 47.004, shall perform, either directly or |
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| 13 | 13 | | through a referral to another program certified under that section |
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| 14 | 14 | | [transfer agreement], a hearing screening for the identification of |
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| 15 | 15 | | hearing loss on each newborn or infant born at the facility before |
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| 16 | 16 | | the newborn or infant is discharged from the facility unless: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) the parent declines the screening; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) the newborn or infant is transferred to another |
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| 19 | 19 | | facility before the screening is performed; [or] |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) the screening has previously been completed; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) the newborn was discharged from the birthing |
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| 22 | 22 | | facility not more than 10 hours after birth and a referral for the |
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| 23 | 23 | | newborn was made to a program certified under Section 47.004 at |
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| 24 | 24 | | another birthing facility or operated by a physician or other |
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| 25 | 25 | | health care provider. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 27 | 27 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 28 | 28 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 29 | 29 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 30 | 30 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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