By McReynolds                                         H.B. No. 2597
         76R6666 MXM-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to emissions from certain hospital or medical
 1-3     disinfectants.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 382, Health and Safety
 1-6     Code, is amended by adding Section 382.0201 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 382.0201.  PROHIBITION ON COMMISSION RULE RELATING TO
 1-8     EMISSIONS FROM CERTAIN HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL DISINFECTANTS.  (a)  In
 1-9     this section, "hospital or medical disinfectant" means an
1-10     antimicrobial product that is registered with and meets the
1-11     performance standards of the United States Environmental Protection
1-12     Agency under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
1-13     Act (7 U.S.C. Sections 136, 136a).
1-14           (b)  Except as required to comply with federal law or
1-15     regulation, the commission may not adopt a rule that lessens the
1-16     efficacy of a hospital or medical disinfectant in killing or
1-17     inactivating agents of an infectious disease, including a rule
1-18     restricting volatile organic compound content of or emissions from
1-19     the disinfectant.
1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-21           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.