| TO: | Honorable Kenny Marchant, Chair, House Committee on State Affairs |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB341 by Uresti (Relating to parenting and crisis counseling information to be provided to a pregnant woman.), As Introduced |
This bill would amend Chapter 161 of the Health and Safety Code and Chapters 164 and 203 of the Occupations Code. The bill would amend Chapter 161 to add the requirement that midwives and physicians provide a resource list, that includes professional organizations that provide parent crisis counseling and assistance, to women that receive prenatal and delivery care services. The bill would require the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to establish guidelines and compile the resource list by no later than January 1, 2004. The bill would require TDH to make the resource list available to midwives and physicians. The bill would amend the Occupation Code to make failure to provide the resource list a prohibited act for physicians and a disciplinary action for midwives.
This bill would take effect September 1, 2003, except that the additions to the Occupations Code, would take effect January 1, 2005.
TDH has indicated that the duties associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources and staff.
| Source Agencies: | 501 Department of Health
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| LBB Staff: | JK, RR, KF, MH
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