Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB742 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R2674 MCF-F
2		-	By: Thompson, et al. H.B. No. 742
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4		-
	2	+	By: Thompson H.B. No. 742
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7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to human trafficking prevention, including training for
10	8		first responders, disclosure of human trafficking information by
11	9		certain health care facilities, and protection for facility
12	10		employees who report human trafficking.
13	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	12		SECTION 1. Subtitle A, Title 9, Health and Safety Code, is
15	13		amended by adding Chapter 763 to read as follows:
16	14		CHAPTER 763. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION TRAINING
17	15		SUBCHAPTER A. TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
18	16		Sec. 763.001. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
19	17		(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
20	18		Commission.
21	19		(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
22	20		commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
23	21		(3) "First responder" means a public safety employee
24	22		whose duties include responding rapidly to an emergency. The term:
25	23		(A) includes:
26	24		(i) fire protection personnel, as defined
27	25		by Section 419.021, Government Code; and
28	26		(ii) emergency medical services personnel,
29	27		as defined by Section 773.003; and
30	28		(B) does not include:
31	29		(i) volunteer emergency services
32	30		personnel;
33	31		(ii) an emergency medical services
34	32		volunteer, as defined by Section 773.003; or
35	33		(iii) a peace officer or reserve law
36	34		enforcement officer, as those terms are defined by Section
37	35		1701.001, Occupations Code, who is performing law enforcement
38	36		duties.
39	37		(4) "Human trafficking" means conduct that
40	38		constitutes an offense under Section 20A.02, Penal Code.
41	39		Sec. 763.002. REQUIRED HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING. A first
42	40		responder, within the time prescribed by commission rule, shall
43	41		successfully complete a training course approved by the executive
44	42		commissioner on identifying, assisting, and reporting victims of
45	43		human trafficking.
46	44		Sec. 763.003. TRAINING COURSE APPROVAL. (a) The executive
47	45		commissioner shall:
48	46		(1) approve training courses on human trafficking
49	47		prevention, including at least one course available without charge;
50	48		and
51	49		(2) post a list of the approved training courses on the
52	50		commission's Internet website.
53	51		(b) The executive commissioner shall update the list of
54	52		approved training courses described by Subsection (a) as necessary
55	53		and consider for approval training courses conducted by health care
56	54		facilities.
57	55		SECTION 2. Section 241.011, Health and Safety Code, is
58	56		amended to read as follows:
59	57		Sec. 241.011. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SIGNS REQUIRED. (a) An
60	58		emergency department of a hospital shall display a sign, at least 11
61	59		inches by 17 inches in size, written in at least a 16-point font and
62	60		in the form prescribed by the attorney general, that includes:
63	61		(1) the following statements:
64	62		(A) "All health care practitioners and first
65	63		responders are required to receive human trafficking prevention
66	64		training."; and
67	65		(B) "A hospital employee may not be disciplined,
68	66		retaliated against, or otherwise discriminated against for
69	67		reporting in good faith a suspected act of human trafficking.";
70	68		(2) information on recognizing and reporting human
71	69		trafficking and a list of human trafficking indicators;
72	70		(3) a phone number the attorney general designates for
73	71		reporting a suspected act of human trafficking; and
74	72		(4) contact information for reporting suspicious
75	73		activity to the Department of Public Safety.
76	74		(b) The sign described by Subsection (a) must be posted:
77	75		(1) in a location easily visible to all hospital
78	76		employees; and
79	77		(2) separately in English, Spanish, and any other
80	78		primary language spoken by 10 percent or more of the hospital's
81	79		employees [separate signs, in English and Spanish, that comply with
82	80		Section 245.025 as if the hospital is an abortion facility].
83	81		SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 241, Health and Safety
84	82		Code, is amended by adding Section 241.0115 to read as follows:
85	83		Sec. 241.0115. DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION PROHIBITED.
86	84		A hospital may not discipline, retaliate against, or otherwise
87	85		discriminate against a hospital employee who in good faith reports
88	86		a suspected act of human trafficking to the hospital, a law
89	87		enforcement agency, the National Human Trafficking Resource
90	88		Center, the attorney general, or any other appropriate authority.
91	89		SECTION 4. Subchapter D, Chapter 254, Health and Safety
92	90		Code, is amended by adding Sections 254.161 and 254.162 to read as
93	91		follows:
94	92		Sec. 254.161. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SIGNS REQUIRED. (a) A
95	93		freestanding emergency medical care facility shall display a sign,
96	94		at least 11 inches by 17 inches in size, written in at least a
97	95		16-point font and in the form prescribed by the attorney general,
98	96		that includes:
99	97		(1) the following statements:
100	98		(A) "All health care practitioners and first
101	99		responders are required to receive human trafficking prevention
102	100		training."; and
103	101		(B) "A freestanding emergency medical care
104	102		facility employee may not be disciplined, retaliated against, or
105	103		otherwise discriminated against for reporting in good faith a
106	104		suspected act of human trafficking.";
107	105		(2) information on recognizing and reporting human
108	106		trafficking and a list of human trafficking indicators;
109	107		(3) a phone number the attorney general designates for
110	108		reporting a suspected act of human trafficking; and
111	109		(4) contact information for reporting suspicious
112	110		activity to the Department of Public Safety.
113	111		(b) The sign described by Subsection (a) must be posted:
114	112		(1) in a location easily visible to all facility
115	113		employees; and
116	114		(2) separately in English, Spanish, and any other
117	115		primary language spoken by 10 percent or more of the facility's
118	116		employees.
119	117		Sec. 254.162. DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION PROHIBITED. A
120	118		freestanding emergency medical care facility may not discipline,
121	119		retaliate against, or otherwise discriminate against a facility
122	120		employee who in good faith reports a suspected act of human
123	121		trafficking to the facility, a law enforcement agency, the National
124	122		Human Trafficking Resource Center, the attorney general, or any
125	123		other appropriate authority.
126	124		SECTION 5. As soon as practicable after the effective date
127	125		of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
128	126		Services Commission shall approve and post on the commission's
129	127		Internet website the list of approved human trafficking prevention
130	128		training courses and adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter
131	129		A, Chapter 763, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
132	130		SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date
133	131		of this Act, the attorney general shall design the sign required by
134	132		Section 241.011, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, and
135	133		Section 254.161, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
136	134		SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.