Bill Text: TX HB1478 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to minimum standards for pregnancy resource centers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-03 - Referred to Public Health [HB1478 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB1478-Introduced.html
| 88R6373 MCF-D | ||
| By: Ramos | H.B. No. 1478 | |
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| relating to minimum standards for pregnancy resource centers. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle H, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Chapter 174 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 174. PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS | ||
| Sec. 174.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "pregnancy | ||
| resource center" means an organization, including a pregnancy | ||
| counseling organization, crisis pregnancy center, pregnancy care | ||
| center, or pregnancy support center, that for a fee or free of | ||
| charge provides pregnancy counseling or information but: | ||
| (1) does not perform abortions or make referrals to an | ||
| abortion provider; | ||
| (2) does not provide or make referrals for | ||
| comprehensive birth control services; | ||
| (3) is not licensed or certified by this state or the | ||
| federal government to provide medical or health care services; and | ||
| (4) is not required to have a physician under contract | ||
| to provide or directly supervise all health care services provided | ||
| by the organization. | ||
| Sec. 174.002. MINIMUM STANDARDS. (a) The executive | ||
| commissioner by rule shall prescribe minimum standards for | ||
| pregnancy resource centers. | ||
| (b) The minimum standards must: | ||
| (1) protect the health and safety of a patient of a | ||
| pregnancy resource center; | ||
| (2) contain provisions equivalent to the requirements | ||
| of Subchapter B, Chapter 171, but applicable to the provision of | ||
| pregnancy services; and | ||
| (3) contain provisions equivalent to the minimum | ||
| standards for ambulatory surgical centers adopted under Section | ||
| 243.010. | ||
| (c) Pregnancy resource centers must have at least one | ||
| licensed obstetrician or gynecologist present when providing | ||
| services to a patient. | ||
| (d) This section does not authorize the executive | ||
| commissioner to: | ||
| (1) establish the qualifications of a licensed health | ||
| care practitioner; or | ||
| (2) allow a person to provide medical or health care | ||
| services who is not authorized to provide those services under | ||
| other laws of this state. | ||
| (e) A pregnancy resource center or health care practitioner | ||
| that violates this section is subject to disciplinary action by the | ||
| state agency that regulates the center or practitioner as if the | ||
| center or practitioner had violated the applicable licensing law. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2024, the executive | ||
| commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall | ||
| adopt rules necessary to implement Chapter 174, Health and Safety | ||
| Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
