By Wise H.B. No. 1798 75R9968 SAW-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to recommendations for hospitals relating to missing 1-3 infants. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 241, Health and Safety 1-6 Code, is amended by adding Section 241.0263 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 241.0263. RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO MISSING INFANTS. 1-8 (a) The department shall recommend hospital security procedures 1-9 to: 1-10 (1) reduce the likelihood of infant patient abduction; 1-11 and 1-12 (2) aid in the identification of missing infants. 1-13 (b) In making recommendations, the department shall consider 1-14 hospital size and location and the number of births at a hospital. 1-15 (c) The procedures recommended by the department under 1-16 Subsection (a)(1) may include: 1-17 (1) controlling access to newborn nurseries; 1-18 (2) expanding observation of newborn nurseries through 1-19 the use of video cameras; and 1-20 (3) requiring identification for hospital staff and 1-21 visitors as a condition of entrance to newborn nurseries. 1-22 (d) The procedures recommended by the department under 1-23 Subsection (a)(2) may include: 1-24 (1) footprinting, photographing, or writing 2-1 descriptions of infant patients at birth; and 2-2 (2) obtaining umbilical cord blood samples for infant 2-3 patients born at the hospital and storing the samples for genetic 2-4 testing purposes. 2-5 (e) Each hospital licensed under this chapter shall consider 2-6 implementing the procedures recommended under this section. 2-7 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 2-8 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.