By McClendon                                          H.B. No. 3334
         76R7555 CMR-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to an interim committee on binational exchange of health
 1-3     information.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  (a)  The interim committee on binational exchange
 1-6     of health information is established to study state laws inhibiting
 1-7     the exchange of information on disease and epidemiological
 1-8     reporting between Texas and the United Mexican States.
 1-9           (b)  The interim committee is composed of 10 members
1-10     appointed as follows:
1-11                 (1)  five members of the senate, appointed by the
1-12     lieutenant governor; and
1-13                 (2)  five members of the house of representatives,
1-14     appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
1-15           (c)  The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of
1-16     representatives each shall alternate the designation of a presiding
1-17     officer and vice presiding officer from among the members appointed
1-18     to the committee, with each officer serving in that capacity for
1-19     not more than one year. The lieutenant governor shall designate the
1-20     first presiding officer and the speaker shall designate the first
1-21     vice presiding officer.
1-22           (d)  The committee shall meet at the call of the presiding
1-23     officer.
1-24           (e)  The committee shall study state laws inhibiting the:
 2-1                 (1)  exchange of information on disease and
 2-2     epidemiological reporting between Texas and the United Mexican
 2-3     States; and
 2-4                 (2)  cross-border exchange of equipment and personnel
 2-5     to provide technical assistance and to enhance the capacity of
 2-6     Texas and the United Mexican States to obtain and exchange the
 2-7     information.
 2-8           (f)  Not later than January 15, 2001, the committee shall
 2-9     issue a report describing the committee's recommendations to the
2-10     lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of
2-11     representatives.
2-12           (g)  The committee shall adopt rules to administer this
2-13     section.
2-14           (h)  The committee is abolished and this section expires
2-15     September 1, 2001.
2-16           SECTION 2.  Before November 1, 1999, the lieutenant governor
2-17     and the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint
2-18     members to the interim committee on binational exchange of
2-19     information as provided by Section 1 of this Act.
2-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.