Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB727 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R1477 SRA-D
2	2	By: Lucio III H.B. No. 727
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a border public health initiative
8	8	by the Department of State Health Services.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Chapter 65 to read as follows:
12	12	CHAPTER 65. BORDER PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE
13	13	Sec. 65.0001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
14	14	(1) "Border county" means a county adjacent to this
15	15	state's international border with Mexico.
16	16	(2) "Promotora" or "community health worker" has the
17	17	meaning assigned by Section 48.001.
18	18	Sec. 65.0002. BORDER PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE. (a) The
19	19	department shall develop an initiative to reduce the adverse health
20	20	impacts of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity for adults and
21	21	children in border counties. The initiative must promote:
22	22	(1) educational resources designed to prevent those
23	23	conditions;
24	24	(2) screenings of persons at risk for those
25	25	conditions; and
26	26	(3) referrals to and treatment by health care
27	27	providers for those conditions.
28	28	(b) In developing the border public health initiative, the
29	29	department may consult and collaborate with:
30	30	(1) other health and human services agencies;
31	31	(2) other appropriate state or federal agencies;
32	32	(3) health science centers and medical schools; and
33	33	(4) public and private health care providers and
34	34	hospitals.
35	35	Sec. 65.0003. OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS. To implement the border
36	36	public health initiative described by Section 65.0002, the
37	37	department shall conduct bilingual, culturally appropriate
38	38	outreach campaigns in consultation and collaboration with
39	39	appropriate individuals and entities that may include:
40	40	(1) promotoras and community health workers;
41	41	(2) academic centers located in border counties;
42	42	(3) nonprofit organizations;
43	43	(4) public schools;
44	44	(5) public and private health care providers and
45	45	hospitals;
46	46	(6) worksite wellness programs;
47	47	(7) local business and health care providers that
48	48	provide early detection of prediabetes, prehypertension, and
49	49	obesity; and
50	50	(8) other local entities, as the department determines
51	51	appropriate.
52	52	Sec. 65.0004. REPORT. Not later than January 1, 2025, the
53	53	department shall prepare and electronically submit to the
54	54	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
55	55	and the legislature a report describing:
56	56	(1) health outcomes and health care savings resulting
57	57	from prevention, screenings, and treatment of chronic diseases
58	58	under the border public health initiative; and
59	59	(2) other relevant findings, as determined by the
60	60	department, resulting from the border public health initiative.
61	61	Sec. 65.0005. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires December
62	62	31, 2033.
63	63	SECTION 2. The Department of State Health Services is
64	64	required to implement a provision of this Act only if the
65	65	legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If
66	66	the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that
67	67	purpose, the department may, but is not required to, implement a
68	68	provision of this Act using other appropriations available for that
69	69	purpose.
70	70	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.