By Thompson H.B. No. 2397 74R7386 CAG-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the training of health care professionals in geriatric 1-3 health care issues. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 161, Health and Safety Code, is amended 1-6 by adding Subchapter L to read as follows: 1-7 SUBCHAPTER L. REQUIRED TRAINING IN GERIATRIC HEALTH ISSUES 1-8 Sec. 161.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "geriatric 1-9 health service state agency" means a state agency that licenses, 1-10 certifies, issues a permit to, or otherwise regulates: 1-11 (1) a person who provides health care service to a 1-12 person 65 years of age or over; or 1-13 (2) an inpatient or outpatient health care facility, 1-14 hospital, or residential care facility that provides health care 1-15 service to a person 65 years of age or older. 1-16 Sec. 161.302. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON GERIATRIC 1-17 HEALTH CARE ISSUES TRAINING. (a) The Texas Board of Health and 1-18 each geriatric health service state agency by rule shall adopt a 1-19 joint memorandum of understanding that requires the state agency to 1-20 annually provide or require, as a condition of continued licensure, 1-21 certification, or permitting, training designed to educate the 1-22 person regulated or a person employed by a regulated facility in 1-23 geriatric health care issues related to the provision of health 1-24 care services by the person or facility. 2-1 (b) The memorandum must prescribe: 2-2 (1) minimum standards for the training program; and 2-3 (2) a method for monitoring compliance with the 2-4 requirement. 2-5 (c) Each agency shall review and modify the memorandum as 2-6 necessary not later than the last month of each state fiscal year. 2-7 (d) The Texas Board of Health shall determine whether a 2-8 state agency is a geriatric health service state agency for the 2-9 purposes of this section and notify each agency designated as a 2-10 geriatric health service state agency of the requirements of this 2-11 section. 2-12 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 2-13 (b) The Texas Board of Health and each state agency 2-14 designated as a geriatric health service state agency shall enter 2-15 into a memorandum of understanding under Subchapter L, Chapter 161, 2-16 Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, on or before January 2-17 1, 1996. 2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.