| 1 | 1 | | 88R10570 EAS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Ortega H.B. No. 2151 |
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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 the establishment of a border public health |
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| 8 | 8 | | multidisciplinary response team within the office of border public |
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| 9 | 9 | | health. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 12.071. OFFICE OF BORDER PUBLIC HEALTH; BORDER PUBLIC |
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| 14 | 14 | | HEALTH MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAMS. (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Office" means the office of border public health |
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| 16 | 16 | | established under Subsection (b). |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "Response team" means the border public health |
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| 18 | 18 | | multidisciplinary response team established under Subsection (c). |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The department shall establish and maintain an office in |
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| 20 | 20 | | the department to coordinate and promote health and environmental |
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| 21 | 21 | | issues between this state and Mexico. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) The department shall establish within the office a |
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| 23 | 23 | | border public health multidisciplinary response team to: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) assist local health departments in responding to |
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| 25 | 25 | | public health issues at the border related to infectious diseases; |
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| 26 | 26 | | and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) address language, cultural, and environmental |
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| 28 | 28 | | barriers associated with treating and preventing the spread of |
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| 29 | 29 | | infectious diseases at the border. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (d) The office shall appoint members to the response team. |
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| 31 | 31 | | Each member of the response team must be bilingual in English and |
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| 32 | 32 | | Spanish and the response team must include: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) an epidemiologist; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) a sanitarian, as defined by Section 1953.001, |
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| 35 | 35 | | Occupations Code; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) a nurse; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (4) an individual who conducts contact tracing to |
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| 38 | 38 | | identify individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious |
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| 39 | 39 | | disease for the purpose of containing the spread of the disease; and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (5) any other person the office considers appropriate. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) The office shall ensure the response team is provided |
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| 42 | 42 | | with adequate training, equipment, and support staff to enable the |
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| 43 | 43 | | team to fulfill the duties assigned under this section and |
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| 44 | 44 | | strengthen border health response efforts. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 46 | 46 | | of this Act: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) the Department of State Health Services shall |
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| 48 | 48 | | establish the border public health multidisciplinary response team |
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| 49 | 49 | | as required by Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, as amended by |
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| 50 | 50 | | this Act; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) the Office of Border Public Health shall appoint |
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| 52 | 52 | | the members of the border public health multidisciplinary response |
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| 53 | 53 | | team as required by Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, as |
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| 54 | 54 | | amended by this Act. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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