BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 424
By: Van de Putte
Committee Report (Substituted)
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.
C.S.S.B. 424 requires DSHS and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to conduct a joint study of school-based influenza vaccination programs. This bill also requires the Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working Group to establish a subcommittee composed of certain societies, associations, organizations, and entities, in order to make recommendations to DSHS and TEA regarding certain information relating to the study. C.S.S.B. 424 requires DSHS and TEA to jointly generate a written report based on the study that evaluates the feasibility of implementing an annual statewide school-based influenza vaccination program.
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 conduct a joint study of school-based influenza vaccination programs.
(b) Requires the Texas Immunization Stakeholder Working Group (TISWG) to establish within the TISWG a subcommittee composed of representatives from the Texas Pediatric Society; the Texas Academy of Family Physicians; the Texas Medical Association; the Texas Association of School Administrators; the Texas Association of School Boards; the Texas School Nurses Organization; and an entity with knowledge of best practices for the effective use of state and local public health resources based on information from other states that have implemented school-based influenza vaccination programs.
(c) Requires members of TISWG to make recommendations to DSHS and TEA regarding the design of the survey instrument used to collect data from schools with an influenza vaccination program under Subsection (d)(2) of this section, and the content of the report required under Subsection (e) of this section.
(d) Requires DSHS and TEA to:
(1) identify school districts in this state in which a school-based influenza vaccination program has been conducted on or after September 1, 2006;
(2) collect relevant data related to the programs, including, when available, how an influenza vaccine was purchased or obtained; a comparison of how insured and uninsured students were managed under the program; the costs associated with administering the program; for each school year that the program was administered, the number of students, by grade level that were vaccinated, refused the vaccine, or were not vaccinated, and were enrolled in the school district; the number of school faculty and staff vaccinated; student absentee rates during a school year that the school district administered a program, and did not administer a program; the number of schools that closed due to influenza or influenza-like illness and the number of days that each school was closed; the nature and degree of involvement in the implementation of a program of a public health department, other community resources, or private health care providers; and whether the vaccinations were reported to the immunization registry maintained by DSHS under Section 161.007 (Immunization Registry; Reports to Department), Health and Safety Code;
(3) identify best practices of a school district that implemented a school-based influenza vaccination program; and
(4) identify barriers encountered by a school district that implemented a school-based influenza program and how the barriers were overcome.
(e) Requires DSHS and TEA, not later than December 1, 2010, to submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and presiding officer of each standing committee of the legislature with jurisdiction over DSHS and TEA a jointly written report, based on the study, that evaluates the feasibility of implementing an annual statewide school-based influenza vaccination program and that includes:
(1) an analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing school-based influenza vaccination programs;
(2) identification of barriers to implementing school-based influenza vaccination programs and recommendations for removing those barriers;
(3) a projection of the fiscal impact of implementing a statewide school-based influenza vaccination program;
(4) an analysis of the impact of the programs studied on private practice physicians and health care providers who administer influenza vaccinations in this state, based on the programs studied;
(5) an analysis of the impact of a statewide school-based influenza vaccination program on private practice physicians and health-care providers who administer influenza vaccinations in this state and recommendations for how to overcome any barriers; and
(6) the role of public health departments and community resources in the administration of school-based influenza vaccination programs.
SECTION 2. Expiration date: September 1, 2011.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.