Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4139 Compare Versions

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1	1		By: Coleman, Rose, J. Johnson of Harris, H.B. No. 4139
2	2		Howard, Thompson of Harris, et al.
3	3
4	4
5	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6		AN ACT
7	7		relating to the Office for Health Equity.
8	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9		SECTION 1. Chapter 107A, Health and Safety Code, is amended
10	10		to read as follows:
11		-	CHAPTER 107A. CENTER FOR ELIMINATION OF DISPROPORTIONALITY AND
12		-	DISPARITIES
13	11		Sec. 107A.001. THE OFFICE [CENTER] FOR HEALTH EQUITY
14	12		[ELIMINATION OF DISPROPORTIONALITY AND DISPARITIES]. The
15		-	executive commissioner shall maintain an office [a center] for
16		-	~~health~~ equity [elimination of disproportionality and disparities]
17		-	~~in the~~ commission to:
	13	+	executive commissioner shall maintain an office [center] for health
	14	+	equity [elimination of disproportionality and disparities] in the
	15	+	commission to:
18	16		(1) assume a leadership role in working or contracting
19	17		with state and federal agencies, universities, private interest
20	18		groups, communities, foundations, and offices of minority health to
21	19		develop and implement health initiatives to create health equity by
22		-	decreasing [~~decrease~~] or eliminating [~~eliminate~~] health and health
23		-	~~access~~ disparities among racial, multicultural, disadvantaged,
24		-	~~ethnic, women's health~~, age, language, and regional populations,
25		-	~~including~~ appropriate language services; and
	20	+	decreasing[e] or eliminating[e] health and health access
	21	+	disparities among racial, multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic,
	22	+	gender, age, language, and regional populations, including
	23	+	appropriate language services; and
26	24		(2) seek out state and federal agencies, universities,
27	25		private interest groups, communities, foundations, and offices of
28		-	minority, women's, or age health in order to coordinate and
29		-	maximize use of existing resources without duplicating existing
30		-	efforts.
	26	+	minority, gender, age health in order to coordinate and maximize
	27	+	use of existing resources without duplicating existing efforts.
31	28		Sec. 107A.002. POWERS OF THE OFFICE [CENTER]. The office
32	29		[center] may:
33	30		(1) provide a central information and referral source,
34	31		including a clearinghouse for health disparities information, and
35	32		serve as the primary state resource in coordinating, planning,
36	33		[and] advocating, and implementing access to health care services
37	34		to eliminate health disparities in this state;
38	35		(2) coordinate conferences and other training
39	36		opportunities to increase skills among state agencies and
40	37		government staff in management and in the appreciation of cultural
41	38		diversity;
42	39		(3) pursue and administer grant funds for innovative
43	40		projects for communities, universities, groups, and individuals;
44	41		(4) provide recommendations and training in improving
45	42		minority recruitment in state agencies;
46	43		(5) publicize, distribute, and implement information
47		-	and evidence-based strategies to promote health equity and
	44	+	and evidence based strategies to promote health equity and
48	45		eliminate [regarding] health disparities and minority health
49	46		issues through the use of the media;
50	47		(6) network with existing minority organizations,
51	48		community-based health groups, faith-based organizations, and
52	49		statewide health coalitions;
53	50		(7) solicit, receive, and spend grants, gifts, and
54	51		donations from public and private sources; [and]
55	52		(8) contract with public and private entities in the
56	53		performance of its responsibilities;
57	54		(9) investigate and report on issues related to health
58		-	and health access disparities among multicultural, ethnic,
59		-	disadvantaged, women's health, age, language, and regional
60		-	populations;
	55	+	and health access disparities among multicultural, ethnic
	56	+	disadvantaged, gender, age, language, and regional populations;
61	57		(10) coordinate and work with local health authorities
62	58		to collect and report data related to health and health access
63		-	disparities among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, ~~women's~~
64		-	~~health,~~ age, language, and regional populations;
	59	+	disparities among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, gender,
	60	+	age, language, and regional populations;
65	61		(11) make the de-identified data collected in
66		-	~~Subdivision~~ (10) readily available to the public;
	62	+	subsection (10) readily available to the public;
67	63		(12) monitor existing and emerging trends in
68		-	behavioral health, morbidity, and mortality among multicultural,
69		-	disadvantaged, ethnic, ~~women's health~~, age, language, and regional
	64	+	behavioral health, morbidity and mortality among multicultural,
	65	+	disadvantaged, ethnic, gender, age, language, and regional
70	66		populations;
71		-	(13) develop and implement short-term and long-term
	67	+	(13) develop and implement short term and long term
72	68		strategies to promote health equity and eliminate health and health
73	69		access disparities among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic,
74		-	~~women's health~~, age, language, and regional populations;
	70	+	gender, age, language, and regional populations;
75	71		(14) monitor the progress of the commission and the
76	72		providers it contracts with in promoting health equity and
77	73		eliminating the health and health access disparities;
78	74		(15) advise and assist the commission on the
79	75		implementation of any targeted programs or funding authorized by
80		-	the legislature to address health and health access disparities;
	76	+	the legislature to address health and health access disparities.
81	77		(16) examine the role that disparities in education,
82	78		criminal justice, housing, economic opportunity, environment, and
83	79		other social determinants contribute to disparities in health
84		-	access and outcomes;
	80	+	access and outcomes
85	81		(17) examine how health disparities impact access to
86	82		educational, housing, and economic opportunity; and
87	83		(18) advise the commission on provider contracting to
88	84		ensure that the commission contracts with providers that promote
89	85		health equity and eliminate health and health access disparities
90		-	among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, ~~women's health~~, age,
91		-	~~language,~~ and regional populations.
	86	+	among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, gender, age, language,
	87	+	and regional populations.
92	88		Sec. 107A.003. FUNDING. The commission may distribute to
93		-	the office:
94		-	(1) ~~[center]~~ unobligated and unexpended
95		-	~~appropriations to be used to~~ carry out its powers;
96		-	(2) appropriations of money to the fund by the
97		-	~~legislature;~~ or
98		-	(3) gifts, grants, including grants from the federal
	89	+	the office [center]:
	90	+	(a) unobligated and unexpended appropriations to be used to
	91	+	carry out its powers;[.]
	92	+	(b) appropriations of money to the fund by the legislature;
	93	+	or
	94	+	(c) gifts, grants, including grants from the federal
99	95		government, and other donations received for the fund.
100		-	Sec. 107A.004. PROVIDER CONTRACTS. (a) The commission
101		-	shall work with the office during all contract procurement to
102		-	ensure that providers promote health equity and eliminate health
103		-	and health access disparities among multicultural, disadvantaged,
104		-	ethnic, women's health, age, language, and regional populations.
	96	+	Sec. 107A.004. PROVIDER CONTRACTS.
	97	+	(a) The commission shall work with the office during all
	98	+	contract procurement to ensure that providers promote health equity
	99	+	and eliminate health and health access disparities among
	100	+	multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, gender, age, language, and
	101	+	regional populations.
105	102		(b) the office shall assist providers contracted with the
106	103		commission implement programs and strategies that promote health
107	104		equity and eliminate health and health access disparities among
108		-	multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, ~~women's health~~, age,
109		-	~~language, and~~ regional populations.
110		-	Sec. 107A.005. CROSS-AGENCY ASSISTANCE. The office may
	105	+	multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, gender, age, language, and
	106	+	regional populations.
	107	+	Sec. 107A.005. CROSS AGENCY ASSISTANCE. The office may
111	108		work with other Texas agencies to advise and assist in
112	109		implementation of programs and strategies aimed at eliminating
113		-	social determinants that cause health and health access ~~disparities~~
114		-	among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, ~~women's health~~, ~~age,~~
115		-	language, and regional populations.
	110	+	social determinants that that cause health and health access
	111	+	disparities among multicultural, disadvantaged, ethnic, gender,
	112	+	age, language, and regional populations.
116	113		Sec. 107A.006. COVID-19 DISPARITIES. (a) In this section,
117	114		"COVID-19" means the 2019 novel coronavirus.
118	115		(b) The center shall conduct a study to assess the
119	116		disproportionate effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on racial,
120		-	multicultural, ethnic, disadvantaged, ~~women's health~~, age, and
121		-	~~regional~~ populations in this state. In conducting the study, the
122		-	~~center~~ shall:
	117	+	multicultural, ethnic, disadvantaged, gender, age, and regional
	118	+	populations in this state. In conducting the study, the center
	119	+	shall:
123	120		(1) determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic
124	121		disproportionately affected certain racial, multicultural, ethnic,
125		-	disadvantaged, ~~women's health~~, age, language, and regional
126		-	~~populations in~~ this state;
	122	+	disadvantaged, gender, age, language, and regional populations in
	123	+	this state;
127	124		(2) if the center determines a particular population
128	125		was disproportionately affected by the pandemic, identify the
129	126		underlying causes of that disproportionate effect; and
130	127		(3) recommend policies and procedures for promoting
131	128		health equity during a future natural disaster, pandemic, or other
132	129		public health emergency.
133	130		(c) Not later than December 1, 2022, the center shall submit
134	131		to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of
135	132		representatives, and members of the legislature a written report on
136	133		the results of the study and any recommendations for legislative or
137	134		other action.
138	135		(d) This section expires August 31, 2023.
139	136		SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.