BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 570 By: Moncrief Health and Human Services 4-6-95 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Under current law, the Health Professions Council is a coordinating entity for the health professions licensing boards which provide a single portal through which consumers can make complaints against licensees. The law includes provisions for receiving and processing complaints of a professional licensed by one of the boards under the Council. However, there is no provision to ensure the confidentiality of any information regarding a complaint received by the Council. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 570 requires confidentiality of complaint information in the possession of the Health Professions Council. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 2, Article 4512p, V.T.C.S., by adding Subsection (c), as follows: (c) Provides that all complaints, adverse reports, and other complaint information regarding the content of a complaint in the possession of or received or gathered by the Health Professions Council (council) or its employees or agents relating to a person, initiating a complaint or the licensed professional, being complained against are privileged and confidential and are not subject to discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion for their release to anyone other than council employees or agents involved in collecting complaint information or the specific council member agency or board responsible for the regulation of the health profession under which the individual or institution being complained against is licensed or its employees or agents involved in licensee discipline. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1995. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.