Bill Text: TX HB2151 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of a border public health multidisciplinary response team within the office of border public health.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-09 - Referred to Public Health [HB2151 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB2151-Introduced.html
| 88R10570 EAS-D | ||
| By: Ortega | H.B. No. 2151 | |
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| relating to the establishment of a border public health | ||
| multidisciplinary response team within the office of border public | ||
| health. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 12.071. OFFICE OF BORDER PUBLIC HEALTH; BORDER PUBLIC | ||
| HEALTH MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAMS. (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "Office" means the office of border public health | ||
| established under Subsection (b). | ||
| (2) "Response team" means the border public health | ||
| multidisciplinary response team established under Subsection (c). | ||
| (b) The department shall establish and maintain an office in | ||
| the department to coordinate and promote health and environmental | ||
| issues between this state and Mexico. | ||
| (c) The department shall establish within the office a | ||
| border public health multidisciplinary response team to: | ||
| (1) assist local health departments in responding to | ||
| public health issues at the border related to infectious diseases; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) address language, cultural, and environmental | ||
| barriers associated with treating and preventing the spread of | ||
| infectious diseases at the border. | ||
| (d) The office shall appoint members to the response team. | ||
| Each member of the response team must be bilingual in English and | ||
| Spanish and the response team must include: | ||
| (1) an epidemiologist; | ||
| (2) a sanitarian, as defined by Section 1953.001, | ||
| Occupations Code; | ||
| (3) a nurse; | ||
| (4) an individual who conducts contact tracing to | ||
| identify individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious | ||
| disease for the purpose of containing the spread of the disease; and | ||
| (5) any other person the office considers appropriate. | ||
| (e) The office shall ensure the response team is provided | ||
| with adequate training, equipment, and support staff to enable the | ||
| team to fulfill the duties assigned under this section and | ||
| strengthen border health response efforts. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act: | ||
| (1) the Department of State Health Services shall | ||
| establish the border public health multidisciplinary response team | ||
| as required by Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, as amended by | ||
| this Act; and | ||
| (2) the Office of Border Public Health shall appoint | ||
| the members of the border public health multidisciplinary response | ||
| team as required by Section 12.071, Health and Safety Code, as | ||
| amended by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
