Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB754 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R2683 MCF-F
2		-	By: Thompson, et al. H.B. No. 754
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4		-
	2	+	By: Thompson H.B. No. 754
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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		medical assistants, 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 G, Title 4, Health and Safety Code, is
15	13		amended by adding Chapter 328 to read as follows:
16	14		CHAPTER 328. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN FACILITIES
17	15		Sec. 328.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
18	16		(1) "Facility" has the meaning assigned by Section
19	17		31.002.
20	18		(2) "Medical assistant" has the meaning assigned by
21	19		Section 763.001.
22	20		Sec. 328.002. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SIGNS REQUIRED. (a) A
23	21		facility shall display a sign, at least 11 inches by 17 inches in
24	22		size, written in at least a 16-point font and in the form prescribed
25	23		by the attorney general, that includes:
26	24		(1) the following statements:
27	25		(A) "All health care practitioners and medical
28	26		assistants are required to receive human trafficking prevention
29	27		training."; and
30	28		(B) "An employee may not be disciplined,
31	29		retaliated against, or otherwise discriminated against for
32	30		reporting in good faith a suspected act of human trafficking.";
33	31		(2) information on recognizing and reporting human
34	32		trafficking and a list of human trafficking indicators;
35	33		(3) a phone number the attorney general designates for
36	34		reporting a suspected act of human trafficking or a violation of
37	35		this chapter; and
38	36		(4) contact information for reporting suspicious
39	37		activity to the Department of Public Safety.
40	38		(b) The sign described by Subsection (a) must be posted:
41	39		(1) in a location easily visible to all facility
42	40		employees; and
43	41		(2) separately in English, Spanish, and any other
44	42		primary language spoken by 10 percent or more of the facility's
45	43		employees.
46	44		Sec. 328.003. DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION PROHIBITED. A
47	45		facility may not discipline, retaliate against, or otherwise
48	46		discriminate against a facility employee who in good faith reports
49	47		a suspected act of human trafficking to the facility, a law
50	48		enforcement agency, the National Human Trafficking Resource
51	49		Center, the attorney general, or another appropriate authority.
52	50		SECTION 2. Subtitle A, Title 9, Health and Safety Code, is
53	51		amended by adding Chapter 763 to read as follows:
54	52		CHAPTER 763. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION TRAINING
55	53		SUBCHAPTER A. TRAINING FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANTS
56	54		Sec. 763.001. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
57	55		(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
58	56		Commission.
59	57		(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
60	58		commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
61	59		(3) "Human trafficking" means conduct that
62	60		constitutes an offense under Section 20A.02, Penal Code.
63	61		(4) "Medical assistant" means an individual who, under
64	62		the supervision of a physician, assists with patient care
65	63		management, executes administrative duties, and performs clinical
66	64		procedures, including:
67	65		(A) conducting aseptic procedures;
68	66		(B) obtaining vital signs;
69	67		(C) preparing patients for the physician's care;
70	68		(D) performing venipunctures and non-intravenous
71	69		injections;
72	70		(E) observing and reporting patients' symptoms;
73	71		(F) administering basic first aid;
74	72		(G) assisting with patient examinations or
75	73		treatments;
76	74		(H) operating office medical equipment;
77	75		(I) collecting routine laboratory specimens, as
78	76		directed by the physician;
79	77		(J) administering medication, as directed by the
80	78		physician;
81	79		(K) performing basic laboratory procedures; and
82	80		(L) performing dialysis procedures, including
83	81		home dialysis.
84	82		Sec. 763.002. REQUIRED HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING. A
85	83		medical assistant, within the time prescribed by commission rule,
86	84		shall successfully complete a training course approved by the
87	85		executive commissioner on identifying, assisting, and reporting
88	86		victims of human trafficking.
89	87		Sec. 763.003. TRAINING COURSE APPROVAL. (a) The executive
90	88		commissioner shall:
91	89		(1) approve training courses on human trafficking
92	90		prevention, including at least one course available without charge;
93	91		and
94	92		(2) post a list of the approved training courses on the
95	93		commission's Internet website.
96	94		(b) The executive commissioner shall update the list of
97	95		approved training courses described by Subsection (a) as necessary
98	96		and consider for approval training courses conducted by health care
99	97		facilities.
100	98		SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date
101	99		of this Act, the attorney general shall design the sign required by
102	100		Section 328.002, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
103	101		SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
104	102		of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
105	103		Services Commission shall approve and post on the commission's
106	104		Internet website the list of approved human trafficking prevention
107	105		training courses and adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter
108	106		A, Chapter 763, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
109	107		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.