Bill Text: TX HB754 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to human trafficking prevention, including training for medical assistants, disclosure of human trafficking information by certain health care facilities, and protection for facility employees who report human trafficking.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-12 - Filed [HB754 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB754-Introduced.html
89R2683 MCF-F | ||
By: Thompson | H.B. No. 754 |
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relating to human trafficking prevention, including training for | ||
medical assistants, disclosure of human trafficking information by | ||
certain health care facilities, and protection for facility | ||
employees who report human trafficking. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subtitle G, Title 4, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
amended by adding Chapter 328 to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 328. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN FACILITIES | ||
Sec. 328.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
(1) "Facility" has the meaning assigned by Section | ||
31.002. | ||
(2) "Medical assistant" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 763.001. | ||
Sec. 328.002. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SIGNS REQUIRED. (a) A | ||
facility shall display a sign, at least 11 inches by 17 inches in | ||
size, written in at least a 16-point font and in the form prescribed | ||
by the attorney general, that includes: | ||
(1) the following statements: | ||
(A) "All health care practitioners and medical | ||
assistants are required to receive human trafficking prevention | ||
training."; and | ||
(B) "An employee may not be disciplined, | ||
retaliated against, or otherwise discriminated against for | ||
reporting in good faith a suspected act of human trafficking."; | ||
(2) information on recognizing and reporting human | ||
trafficking and a list of human trafficking indicators; | ||
(3) a phone number the attorney general designates for | ||
reporting a suspected act of human trafficking or a violation of | ||
this chapter; and | ||
(4) contact information for reporting suspicious | ||
activity to the Department of Public Safety. | ||
(b) The sign described by Subsection (a) must be posted: | ||
(1) in a location easily visible to all facility | ||
employees; and | ||
(2) separately in English, Spanish, and any other | ||
primary language spoken by 10 percent or more of the facility's | ||
employees. | ||
Sec. 328.003. DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION PROHIBITED. A | ||
facility may not discipline, retaliate against, or otherwise | ||
discriminate against a facility employee who in good faith reports | ||
a suspected act of human trafficking to the facility, a law | ||
enforcement agency, the National Human Trafficking Resource | ||
Center, the attorney general, or another appropriate authority. | ||
SECTION 2. Subtitle A, Title 9, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
amended by adding Chapter 763 to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 763. HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION TRAINING | ||
SUBCHAPTER A. TRAINING FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANTS | ||
Sec. 763.001. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services | ||
Commission. | ||
(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive | ||
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. | ||
(3) "Human trafficking" means conduct that | ||
constitutes an offense under Section 20A.02, Penal Code. | ||
(4) "Medical assistant" means an individual who, under | ||
the supervision of a physician, assists with patient care | ||
management, executes administrative duties, and performs clinical | ||
procedures, including: | ||
(A) conducting aseptic procedures; | ||
(B) obtaining vital signs; | ||
(C) preparing patients for the physician's care; | ||
(D) performing venipunctures and non-intravenous | ||
injections; | ||
(E) observing and reporting patients' symptoms; | ||
(F) administering basic first aid; | ||
(G) assisting with patient examinations or | ||
treatments; | ||
(H) operating office medical equipment; | ||
(I) collecting routine laboratory specimens, as | ||
directed by the physician; | ||
(J) administering medication, as directed by the | ||
physician; | ||
(K) performing basic laboratory procedures; and | ||
(L) performing dialysis procedures, including | ||
home dialysis. | ||
Sec. 763.002. REQUIRED HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING. A | ||
medical assistant, within the time prescribed by commission rule, | ||
shall successfully complete a training course approved by the | ||
executive commissioner on identifying, assisting, and reporting | ||
victims of human trafficking. | ||
Sec. 763.003. TRAINING COURSE APPROVAL. (a) The executive | ||
commissioner shall: | ||
(1) approve training courses on human trafficking | ||
prevention, including at least one course available without charge; | ||
and | ||
(2) post a list of the approved training courses on the | ||
commission's Internet website. | ||
(b) The executive commissioner shall update the list of | ||
approved training courses described by Subsection (a) as necessary | ||
and consider for approval training courses conducted by health care | ||
facilities. | ||
SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
of this Act, the attorney general shall design the sign required by | ||
Section 328.002, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human | ||
Services Commission shall approve and post on the commission's | ||
Internet website the list of approved human trafficking prevention | ||
training courses and adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter | ||
A, Chapter 763, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |