| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to the protection of public health in this state, |
|
|
including through the establishment of the Texas Epidemic Public |
|
|
Health Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center |
|
|
at Houston. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 61.003(6), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(6) "Other agency of higher education" means The |
|
|
University of Texas System, System Administration; The University |
|
|
of Texas at El Paso Museum; Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute |
|
|
at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; The |
|
|
Texas A&M University System, Administrative and General Offices; |
|
|
Texas A&M AgriLife Research; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; |
|
|
Rodent and Predatory Animal Control Service (a part of the Texas A&M |
|
|
AgriLife Extension Service); Texas A&M Engineering Experiment |
|
|
Station (including the Texas A&M Transportation Institute); Texas |
|
|
A&M Engineering Extension Service; Texas A&M Forest Service; Texas |
|
|
Division of Emergency Management; Texas Tech University Museum; |
|
|
Texas State University System, System Administration; Sam Houston |
|
|
Memorial Museum; Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Cotton |
|
|
Research Committee of Texas; Texas Water Resources Institute; Texas |
|
|
A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory; and any other unit, |
|
|
division, institution, or agency which shall be so designated by |
|
|
statute or which may be established to operate as a component part |
|
|
of any public senior college or university, or which may be so |
|
|
classified as provided in this chapter. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Chapter 75, Education Code, is amended by adding |
|
|
Subchapter D to read as follows: |
|
|
SUBCHAPTER D. TEXAS EPIDEMIC PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE |
|
|
Sec. 75.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
|
|
(1) "Board" means the board of regents of The |
|
|
University of Texas System. |
|
|
(2) "Health science center" means The University of |
|
|
Texas Health Science Center at Houston. |
|
|
(3) "Institute" means the Texas Epidemic Public Health |
|
|
Institute. |
|
|
Sec. 75.302. ESTABLISHMENT. The board shall establish and |
|
|
maintain the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute at the health |
|
|
science center. |
|
|
Sec. 75.303. ROLE AND SCOPE. The institute shall establish |
|
|
and maintain a public health reserve network of public health |
|
|
professionals, community health workers, state and local public |
|
|
health agencies, health care organizations, universities |
|
|
throughout the state, and other relevant entities and persons for |
|
|
the purpose of coordinating efforts to: |
|
|
(1) protect public health in this state; and |
|
|
(2) support pandemic and epidemic disaster |
|
|
preparedness and response components of the state emergency |
|
|
management plan required by Section 418.042, Government Code. |
|
|
Sec. 75.304. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The administration of |
|
|
the institute is under the direction of the chancellor of The |
|
|
University of Texas System and the board through the president of |
|
|
the health science center. |
|
|
(b) The Department of State Health Services shall provide |
|
|
the institute with access to relevant and timely data necessary for |
|
|
the institute to perform its duties. |
|
|
Sec. 75.305. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The institute |
|
|
may accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source for the |
|
|
purposes of the institute. |
|
|
Sec. 75.306. INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL AUDIT FOR REVIEW BY |
|
|
COMPTROLLER. (a) The institute biennially shall commission an |
|
|
independent financial audit of its activities from a certified |
|
|
public accounting firm. The institute shall provide the audit to |
|
|
the comptroller. |
|
|
(b) The comptroller shall review and evaluate the audit and |
|
|
biennially issue a public report of that review. |
|
|
Sec. 75.307. APPROPRIATION CONTINGENCY. The board is |
|
|
required to implement a provision of this subchapter only if the |
|
|
legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If |
|
|
the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that |
|
|
purpose, the board may, but is not required to, implement the |
|
|
provision using other money available to the board for that |
|
|
purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 418.042(a), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The division shall prepare and keep current a |
|
|
comprehensive state emergency management plan. The plan may |
|
|
include: |
|
|
(1) provisions for prevention and minimization of |
|
|
injury and damage caused by disaster; |
|
|
(2) provisions for prompt and effective response to |
|
|
disaster; |
|
|
(3) provisions for emergency relief; |
|
|
(4) provisions for energy emergencies; |
|
|
(5) identification of areas particularly vulnerable |
|
|
to disasters; |
|
|
(6) recommendations for zoning, building |
|
|
restrictions, and other land-use controls, safety measures for |
|
|
securing mobile homes or other nonpermanent or semipermanent |
|
|
structures, and other preventive and preparedness measures |
|
|
designed to eliminate or reduce disasters or their impact; |
|
|
(7) provisions for assistance to local officials in |
|
|
designing local emergency management plans; |
|
|
(8) authorization and procedures for the erection or |
|
|
other construction of temporary works designed to protect against |
|
|
or mitigate danger, damage, or loss from flood, fire, or other |
|
|
disaster; |
|
|
(9) preparation and distribution to the appropriate |
|
|
state and local officials of state catalogs of federal, state, and |
|
|
private assistance programs; |
|
|
(10) organization of manpower and channels of |
|
|
assistance; |
|
|
(11) coordination of federal, state, and local |
|
|
emergency management activities; |
|
|
(12) coordination of the state emergency management |
|
|
plan with the emergency management plans of the federal government; |
|
|
(13) coordination of federal and state energy |
|
|
emergency plans; |
|
|
(14) provisions for providing information to local |
|
|
officials on activation of the Emergency Alert System established |
|
|
under 47 C.F.R. Part 11; |
|
|
(15) a database of public facilities that may be used |
|
|
under Section 418.017 to shelter individuals during a disaster, |
|
|
including air-conditioned facilities for shelter during an extreme |
|
|
heat disaster and fortified structures for shelter during a wind |
|
|
disaster; |
|
|
(16) provisions for quickly replenishing the food |
|
|
supplies of area food banks or food pantries following a disaster; |
|
|
[and] |
|
|
(17) provisions for protecting public health; and |
|
|
(18) other necessary matters relating to disasters. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |