By Capelo                                            H.C.R. No. 279
         77R13758 MKS-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The ImmTrac Registry is a statewide immunization
 1-2     registry created as part of a Texas Department of Health initiative
 1-3     to increase vaccination coverage for children across Texas; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, This registry is designed to provide accurate,
 1-5     complete, and current immunization records to be used in  aiding,
 1-6     coordinating, and promoting efficient and cost-effective prevention
 1-7     and control of childhood communicable diseases; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, Without accurate and readily available immunization
 1-9     records, a child may not get the necessary immunizations or may be
1-10     over-immunized as a result of incomplete or hard-to-locate records
1-11     from past providers; the immunization registry provides a single
1-12     repository for information that may assist parents and health care
1-13     providers in monitoring the immunization history of a child; and
1-14           WHEREAS, The ImmTrac Registry currently contains records of
1-15     4.2 million children and 30.5 million immunization records, which
1-16     are available to providers, parents, public health authorities,
1-17     schools, and child-care facilities; and
1-18           WHEREAS, Under current law, the Texas Department of Health is
1-19     responsible for implementing and enforcing the ImmTrac Registry in
1-20     order to provide accurate immunization records to aid in ensuring
1-21     that children in the State of Texas are protected from diseases
1-22     that are easily prevented by immunization; and
1-23           WHEREAS, In addition, the Texas Department of Health is
1-24     required to adopt guidelines to protect the confidentiality of
 2-1     patients, and inform the parents or guardians of each patient about
 2-2     the registry; and
 2-3           WHEREAS, The law also requires health care providers who
 2-4     administer immunizations to persons younger than 18 years of age,
 2-5     or the insurance companies or health maintenance organizations that
 2-6     pay for or reimburse claims for the costs of such immunizations, to
 2-7     provide the immunization histories to the department for the
 2-8     registry; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, The State of Texas recognizes the need to protect
2-10     its children and communities from the spread of disease, and
2-11     widespread vaccination is one of the best tools available for the
2-12     prevention of disease; and
2-13           WHEREAS, However, the registry can further the goal of
2-14     effective statewide immunization only to the extent that all of its
2-15     statutory provisions are fully implemented and enforced and all
2-16     entities that administer immunizations to or pay for the
2-17     immunization of children, and that are required to provide
2-18     immunization histories to the department, are made aware of and
2-19     comply with the law's reporting requirements; now, therefore, be it
2-20           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-21     hereby direct the Texas Department of Health to comply with current
2-22     law by adopting and enforcing rules for the ImmTrac Registry in
2-23     order to ensure that health care providers, or health care
2-24     insurers, provide the immunization histories of persons younger
2-25     than 18 years of age to the department as they are required to do
2-26     so that the immunization records the registry contains are the most
2-27     accurate, complete, and current records available; and, be it
 3-1     further
 3-2           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an
 3-3     official copy of this resolution to the commissioner of public
 3-4     health of the Texas Department of Health.