BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center                                                                                                        S.B. 424

81R3814 SJM-D                                                                                                     By: Van de Putte

Health & Human Services

3/16/2009

As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Many studies have indicated that increasing influenza vaccination rates among school-aged children helps protect the overall health of the community.  Children are much more likely than adults to get sick with influenza, and much more likely to spread the virus within their households, negatively impacting high-risk groups such as the elderly.  In February 2008, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that an annual influenza vaccination be given to all healthy children ages six months to 18 years.  Since that recommendation was made, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been working to develop an effective strategy for implementing the recommendation.  The proposed legislation would require DSHS and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to jointly establish and implement an influenza vaccination pilot program in select school districts across the state.  The purpose of the legislation is twofold: to examine the pilot program's impact on decreasing influenza-related school absenteeism and influenza-related morbidity, and to assess the feasibility of a statewide school-based influenza vaccination program.

As proposed, S.B. 424 requires DSHS and TEA to jointly establish and implement a school-based influenza vaccination pilot program that takes place in four school districts across the state: two urban school districts, one that is predominantly economically disadvantaged and one that is predominately non-economically disadvantaged; a rural school district; and a border school district.  The bill requires the program to be established based upon the recommendations of a subcommittee of the Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working Group (TISWG).  The TISWG is to be composed of the Texas Pediatric Society, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the participating school districts, the local health department that serves the geographic area in which each participating school district is located, and the state Medicaid medical director.  The bill requires the pilot program to be implemented within the 2009-2010 academic school year in accordance with the influenza season.  Finally, S.B. 424 requires DSHS and TEA to generate a written report that evaluates the pilot data, and makes recommendations on how the state can effectively and efficiently continue and expand a school-based influenza program statewide.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  (a) Requires the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to jointly establish and implement for the 2009-2010 school year a school-based influenza vaccination pilot program using both killed vaccine and live attenuated vaccine in certain school districts.

(b) Requires the Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working Group (TISWG) to establish within the working group  pilot program subcommittee composed of representatives from the Texas Pediatric Society; the Texas Academy of Family Physicians; each school district in which the pilot program will operate, after the selection of those districts under Subsection (a) of this section; the state Medicaid medical director; and each local health department that serves the geographic area in which a participating school district is located.

(c) Requires members of TISWG that do not serve on the pilot program subcommittee to serve in an advisory role for the planning and implementation of the school-based influenza vaccination pilot program.

(d) Requires DSHS, TEA, and the pilot program subcommittee to plan the school-based influenza vaccination pilot program established and implemented under this section.

(e) Requires DSHS, TEA, and the pilot program subcommittee to implement the school-based influenza vaccination pilot program in the school districts selected under Subsection (a) of this section for the 2009-2010 school year and collect all relevant data related to the program during the 2009-2010 school year.

(f) Requires DSHS and TEA to submit a jointly written report, not later than December 1, 2010, to certain elected officials on the implementation and results of the school-based influenza vaccination pilot program that includes a cost-benefit analysis, identification of barriers to the implementation of the pilot program including recommendations for removing those barriers, a fiscal impact projection, and an analysis of the pilot program's impact on private practice physicians who administer influenza vaccination in this state.

(g) Authorizes DSHS and TEA to seek, receive, and spend money received through an appropriation, grant, donation, or reimbursement from any public or private source to implement the school-based influenza vaccination pilot program.

SECTION 2.  Expiration date: September 1, 2011.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.