| 1 | 1 | | By: Meza H.B. No. 5349 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to a quality assurance audit of the provision of health |
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| 9 | 9 | | care to inmates by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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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. Subchapter E, Chapter 501, Government Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 501.1472 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 501.1472. QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDIT. (a) The |
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| 14 | 14 | | department shall provide for a quality assurance audit of the |
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| 15 | 15 | | correctional health care system to be performed by an independent |
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| 16 | 16 | | third-party auditor not less than once every five years. The audit |
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| 17 | 17 | | must: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) assess the department's: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) delivery of medical, behavioral, and mental |
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| 20 | 20 | | health care services; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) compliance with state and federal law |
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| 22 | 22 | | applicable to the provision of health care to inmates; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) evaluate: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) the performance of any vendors used to |
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| 25 | 25 | | provide a service described by Subdivision (1)(A); and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) the extent to which the department's |
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| 27 | 27 | | provision of health care to inmates conforms to industry best |
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| 28 | 28 | | practices and national correctional health care standards; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) provide specific recommendations for the |
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| 30 | 30 | | department to address any identified deficiencies. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) The department shall post the report of an audit under |
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| 32 | 32 | | Subsection (a) in a conspicuous location on the department's |
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| 33 | 33 | | publicly accessible Internet website. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) The board shall hold a public meeting to consider the |
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| 35 | 35 | | report and may request that the auditor present the results of the |
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| 36 | 36 | | audit to the board at the meeting. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall |
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| 38 | 38 | | provide for the first audit required by Section 501.1472, |
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| 39 | 39 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, to be completed not later |
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| 40 | 40 | | than December 1, 2026. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 42 | 42 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 43 | 43 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 44 | 44 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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