| 1 | 1 | | 87R2923 RDS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thierry H.B. No. 1922 |
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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 a state plan for responding to pandemics. |
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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. Subchapter C, Chapter 418, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 418.0423 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 418.0423. PANDEMIC RESPONSE PLAN. (a) In this |
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| 12 | 12 | | section, "pandemic" means an emerging infectious disease threat |
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| 13 | 13 | | that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The division shall prepare and keep current a pandemic |
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| 15 | 15 | | response plan. The plan may include provisions for: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) consulting infectious disease experts regarding: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (A) risk assessment; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (B) identification of the pathogen; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (C) key questions about the pathogen that may |
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| 20 | 20 | | affect the size, scale, and design of the response; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) preventing and minimizing injury and damage caused |
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| 22 | 22 | | by a pandemic; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) prompt and effective response to a pandemic; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) emergency relief; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (5) identifying areas and populations particularly |
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| 26 | 26 | | vulnerable to the occurrence of a pandemic; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (6) communicating with governmental and private |
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| 28 | 28 | | entities, including entities listed in Section 418.051, to |
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| 29 | 29 | | facilitate coordination and collaboration for the efficient and |
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| 30 | 30 | | effective planning and execution of a pandemic response plan; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (7) organizing federal, state, and local pandemic |
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| 32 | 32 | | response activities; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (8) assisting local officials in designing local |
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| 34 | 34 | | pandemic response plans; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (9) preparing and distributing to appropriate state |
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| 36 | 36 | | and local officials catalogs of federal, state, and private |
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| 37 | 37 | | assistance programs; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (10) other necessary matters relating to pandemics. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (c) In preparing and revising the pandemic response plan, |
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| 40 | 40 | | the division shall seek the assistance of: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) any necessary federal, state, or local |
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| 42 | 42 | | governmental entity; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) medical experts specializing in infectious |
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| 44 | 44 | | disease; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (3) community leaders and business, labor, |
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| 46 | 46 | | agriculture, civic, and volunteer organizations. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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