| 1 | 1 | | By: Harrison H.B. No. 14 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the authority to suspend entry into this state of |
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| 7 | 7 | | certain persons. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the Texas Title 42 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Act. |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 2. Subtitle D, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Chapter 81B to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Chapter 81B. Suspension of entry of persons from designated places |
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| 14 | 14 | | to prevent spread of communicable diseases |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 81B.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "COVID-19" means the 2019 novel coronavirus |
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| 17 | 17 | | disease. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Federally declared public health emergency" |
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| 19 | 19 | | means: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) a public health emergency declared by the |
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| 21 | 21 | | United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under 42 |
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| 22 | 22 | | U.S.C. Section 247d; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) an emergency or disaster declared, including |
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| 24 | 24 | | under a renewal of the declaration, by the president of the United |
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| 25 | 25 | | States in relation to a public health emergency described by |
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| 26 | 26 | | Paragraph (A) under: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (i) the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 1601 et seq.); or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (ii) the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief |
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| 30 | 30 | | and Emergency Assistant Act (42 U.S.C. Section 5121 et seq.). |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) "Port of entry" means a port of entry in the United |
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| 32 | 32 | | States, as defined by part 101 of the customs regulations (19 CFR |
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| 33 | 33 | | part 101). |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) "Person" means any individual other than (i) one |
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| 35 | 35 | | described in the first sentence of section 1 of the Fourteenth |
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| 36 | 36 | | Amendment to the United States Constitution or (ii) one described |
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| 37 | 37 | | in 8 U.S.C. ยง 1101(a)(20). |
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| 38 | 38 | | Sec. 81B.002. SUSPENSION OF ENTRY. (a) During any of the |
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| 39 | 39 | | following, all persons entering Texas by land from another country |
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| 40 | 40 | | must pass through a legal port of entry for appropriate medical |
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| 41 | 41 | | review: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) the pendency of any federally declared public |
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| 43 | 43 | | health emergency for COVID-19, |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) at any time which the federal government has in |
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| 45 | 45 | | place any vaccination requirements for any person lawfully |
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| 46 | 46 | | residing in the United States, including but not limited to |
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| 47 | 47 | | government contractors or healthcare workers, for the purposes of |
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| 48 | 48 | | preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) at any time which the U.S. Department of State has |
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| 50 | 50 | | travel warnings for health for any country from which citizens have |
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| 51 | 51 | | illegally entered the United States during the most recent year for |
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| 52 | 52 | | which there is available data; or |
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| 53 | 53 | | (4) the period the COVID-19 vaccine is listed on the |
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| 54 | 54 | | recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule published |
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| 55 | 55 | | by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (b) Any person who enters the State of Texas from a foreign |
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| 57 | 57 | | country other than in accordance with subsection (a) of this |
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| 58 | 58 | | section, shall be removed to the country from which they entered the |
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| 59 | 59 | | United States, or their country of origin, or another location as |
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| 60 | 60 | | practicable, as rapidly as possible, with as little time spent in |
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| 61 | 61 | | congregate settings as practicable under the circumstances. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 63 | 63 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 64 | 64 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 65 | 65 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 66 | 66 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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| 67 | 67 | | legislative session. |
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