1-1     By:  Goodman (Senate Sponsor - Carona)                 H.B. No. 956

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997;

 1-3     April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health

 1-4     and Human Services; May 1, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 1, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the definition of medical waste.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Section 361.560(3), Health and Safety Code, is

1-11     amended to read as follows:

1-12                 (3)  "Medical waste" includes animal waste, bulk blood

1-13     and blood products, microbiological waste, pathological waste,

1-14     sharps, and special waste from health care-related facilities as

1-15     those terms are defined in 25 TAC Section 1.132 (Tex. Dept. of

1-16     Health, Definition, Treatment, and Disposition of Special Waste

1-17     from Health Care-Related Facilities).  The term does not include

1-18     medical waste produced on farmland and ranchland as defined in

1-19     Section 252.001(6), Agriculture Code.  The term does not include

1-20     artificial, nonhuman materials removed from a patient and requested

1-21     by the patient, including but not limited to orthopedic devices and

1-22     breast implants.

1-23           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-27     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-28     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-29     passage, and it is so enacted.

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