| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 1297 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to vision screenings for students in public or private |
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| 6 | 6 | | school. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 36.003, Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 9 | 9 | | amended by adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (1-a) "Electronic eye chart" means any computerized or |
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| 11 | 11 | | other electronic system, device, or method of displaying on an |
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| 12 | 12 | | electronic screen medically accepted and properly sized optotypes, |
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| 13 | 13 | | which may be letters, numbers, or symbols, a health care |
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| 14 | 14 | | practitioner or other person uses to assess an individual's visual |
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| 15 | 15 | | acuity. The term does not include an automated computer program |
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| 16 | 16 | | that assesses an individual's visual acuity through the |
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| 17 | 17 | | individual's interaction with the program by playing a game. |
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| 18 | 18 | | SECTION 2. Section 36.004(b-1), Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 19 | 19 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b-1) The rules must allow an individual who attends a |
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| 21 | 21 | | public or private school to be screened: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) using photoscreening to detect vision disorders; |
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| 23 | 23 | | and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) using an electronic eye chart as a substitute for a |
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| 25 | 25 | | printed eye chart to assess visual acuity. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 27 | 27 | | of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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| 28 | 28 | | Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement |
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| 29 | 29 | | the changes in law made by this Act. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 31 | 31 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 32 | 32 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 33 | 33 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1297 was passed by the House on April |
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| 34 | 34 | | 20, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 2, 2 present, not |
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| 35 | 35 | | voting. |
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| 36 | 36 | | ______________________________ |
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| 37 | 37 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 38 | 38 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1297 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 39 | 39 | | 15, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. |
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| 40 | 40 | | ______________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 42 | 42 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 43 | 43 | | Date |
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| 44 | 44 | | _____________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Governor |
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