Bill Text: TX HB3576 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the investigation of, and release of information concerning, communicable disease, including the Zika virus and other high consequence communicable diseases.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-6)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB3576 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB3576-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to the investigation of, and release of information concerning, communicable disease, including the Zika virus and other high consequence communicable diseases.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-6)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB3576 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB3576-Introduced.html
By: Guerra | H.B. No. 3576 |
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relating to the collection and release of information on the Zika | ||
virus and other high consequence communicable diseases for certain | ||
purposes. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 81.046(c), Health and Safety Code, as | ||
amended by Chapter 789 (H.B. 2646), Acts of the 84th Legislature, | ||
Regular Session, 2015, and Chapter 1278 (S.B. 1574), Acts of the | ||
84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is reenacted and amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(c) Medical or epidemiological information, including | ||
information linking a person who is exposed to a person with a | ||
communicable disease, may be released: | ||
(1) for statistical purposes if released in a manner | ||
that prevents the identification of any person; | ||
(2) with the consent of each person identified in the | ||
information; | ||
(3) to medical personnel treating the individual, | ||
appropriate state agencies in this state or another state, a health | ||
authority or local health department in this state or another | ||
state, or federal, county, or district courts to comply with this | ||
chapter and related rules relating to the control and treatment of | ||
communicable diseases and health conditions or under another state | ||
or federal law that expressly authorizes the disclosure of this | ||
information; | ||
(4) to appropriate federal agencies, such as the | ||
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States | ||
Public Health Service, but, except as provided under Subsection | ||
(c-3), the information must be limited to the name, address, sex, | ||
race, and occupation of the patient, the date of disease onset, the | ||
probable source of infection, and other requested information | ||
relating to the case or suspected case of a communicable disease or | ||
health condition; | ||
(5) to medical personnel to the extent necessary in a | ||
medical emergency to protect the health or life of the person | ||
identified in the information; | ||
(6) to governmental entities that provide first | ||
responders who may respond to a situation involving a potential | ||
communicable disease of concern and need the information to | ||
properly respond to the situation; or | ||
(7) to a local health department or health authority | ||
for a designated monitoring period based on the potential risk for | ||
developing symptoms of a communicable disease of concern. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 81.046, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
amended by adding Subsection (c-3) to read as follows: | ||
(c-3) The following medical or epidemiological information | ||
relating to a patient or an individual who has or is suspected of | ||
having a present or potential health condition resulting from | ||
exposure to a high consequence communicable disease, such as the | ||
Zika virus, may be released to an appropriate federal agency that | ||
requests the information for the purpose of creating a multistate | ||
registry of cases of the communicable disease: | ||
(1) the name, address, sex, race, and occupation of | ||
the patient or individual; | ||
(2) the date of the onset of the health condition | ||
onset, as applicable; | ||
(3) the probable source of infection or exposure; and | ||
(4) other requested information relating to the case | ||
or suspected case of the infection. | ||
SECTION 3. Sections 81.061(a) and (c), Health and Safety | ||
Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) The department shall investigate the causes and effects | ||
of communicable disease and methods of prevention. | ||
(c) The department may investigate the existence of | ||
communicable disease in the state to determine the nature and | ||
extent of the disease and potential effects on the health of | ||
individuals | ||
and to formulate and evaluate the control measures used | ||
to protect the public health. A person shall provide records and | ||
other information to the department on request according to the | ||
department's written instructions. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |