87R9288 MCF-F
By: Miles S.B. No. 1353
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the biennial legislative report on immunizations issued
by the Department of State Health Services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 161.0074(c), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(c) The report must:
(1) include the current immunization rates by
geographic region of the state, where available;
(2) focus on the geographic regions of the state with
immunization rates below the state average for preschool children;
(3) describe the approaches identified to increase
immunization rates in underserved areas and the estimated cost for
each;
(4) identify changes to department procedures needed
to increase immunization rates;
(5) identify the services provided under and
provisions of contracts entered into by the department to increase
immunization rates in underserved areas;
(6) identify performance measures used in contracts
described by Subdivision (5);
(7) include the number and type of exemptions used in
the past year;
(8) include the number of complaints received by the
department related to the department's failure to comply with
requests for exclusion of individuals from the registry;
(9) identify all reported incidents of discrimination
for requesting exclusion from the registry or for using an
exemption for a required immunization;
(10) include department recommendations about the
best way to use, and communicate with, local registries in the
state; [and]
(11) include ways to increase provider participation
in the registry;
(12) include information by county on the immunization
accessibility of residents by age, race, and geographic location,
provided the information does not personally identify any
individual;
(13) identify and assess disparities in access to
immunizations by age, race, and geographic location, including an
assessment of immunization accessibility in each county;
(14) include the estimated economic benefit to this
state of reducing disparities in immunization accessibility;
(15) include recommendations for reducing disparities
in immunization accessibility; and
(16) include recommendations for legislative action
to increase immunization rates.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2021.