87R5393 JG-D
By: Campos H.B. No. 1222
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the compilation and publication of information on
confirmed or probable cases of reportable diseases.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 81.047, Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 81.047. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REPORTS; COMPILATION AND
PUBLICATION OF CERTAIN REPORT INFORMATION. (a) Subject to the
confidentiality requirements of this chapter, the department shall
require epidemiological reports of disease outbreaks and of
individual cases of disease suspected or known to be of importance
to the public health. The department shall evaluate the reports to
determine the trends involved and the nature and magnitude of the
hazards.
(b) The department shall, based on the information included
in the epidemiological reports required by Subsection (a), compile,
aggregate, and publish on the department's Internet website
information on the number of confirmed or probable cases of each
reportable disease included in the reports. The case information
must be:
(1) aggregated based on:
(A) the reportable disease;
(B) the date each case of a reportable disease is
reported to the department; and
(C) the probable source of infection for each
case of a reportable disease; and
(2) updated regularly as determined by the
commissioner.
(c) During a public health disaster declared for a
reportable disease under this chapter, the department shall, based
on the information included in the epidemiological reports required
by Subsection (a), compile, aggregate, and publish on the
department's Internet website information on the number of
confirmed or probable cases of the disease, including the number of
deaths caused by or suspected of being caused by the disease. The
case information must be:
(1) aggregated based on:
(A) the date each case of the disease is reported
to the department;
(B) the probable source of infection for each
case of the disease; and
(C) the date of each death and total number of
deaths caused by or suspected of being caused by the disease; and
(2) updated daily.
(d) In publishing information required under this section,
the department may not disclose a patient's personally identifiable
information or information that is confidential under state or
federal law.
SECTION 2. Section 81.047, Health and Safety Code, as
amended by this Act, applies only to case information submitted on
or after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.