81R10239 ALB-D
 
  By: Rios Ybarra, Anderson, Gonzales, Hunter, H.B. No. 1948
      Martinez
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to a public health extension service pilot program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle F, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended by adding Chapter 123 to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 123. PUBLIC HEALTH EXTENSION SERVICE
  PILOT PROGRAM
         Sec. 123.001.  DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
               (1)  "Department" means the Department of State Health
  Services.
               (2)  "Executive commissioner" means the executive
  commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
               (3)  "Program" means the public health extension
  service pilot program established under this chapter.
         Sec. 123.002.  PROGRAM ESTABLISHED; PURPOSES. The
  department shall establish a public health extension service pilot
  program in Health Service Region 11, a region of the state that may
  be particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
  other emergencies. The purpose of the program is to:
               (1)  support local public health and medical
  infrastructure and promote:
                     (A)  disease control and medical preparedness;
  and
                     (B)  biosecurity and the detection of the
  introduction of dangerous biologic agents, enhanced availability
  of environmental and toxicologic pathology services, and
  management of hazardous materials; and
               (2)  evaluate the effectiveness of a public health
  extension service program for regions of the state that may be
  particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
  other emergencies.
         Sec. 123.003.  RULES. The executive commissioner may adopt
  rules for the implementation and administration of the program.
         Sec. 123.004.  PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. The department may
  contract with The Texas A&M University System or The University of
  Texas System, or both systems, to implement or administer all or any
  part of the program.
         Sec. 123.005.  PROGRAM OBJECTIVES. Through the program, the
  department may implement projects and systems to accomplish the
  purposes of the program described by Section 123.002, and may:
               (1)  provide support for regional disaster medical
  assistance teams and tactical medical operations incident
  management teams;
               (2)  establish a disaster training and exercise
  program;
               (3)  establish and equip caches to ensure local
  availability of necessary medical supplies and equipment for use in
  disasters and other emergencies;
               (4)  establish a regionally based system of emergency
  medical logistics management to support state and federal emergency
  management authorities that includes:
                     (A)  local patient triage sites; and
                     (B)  local emergency medical operations; and
               (5)  establish a regionally based system to provide
  technical assistance for disaster mitigation and recovery.
         Sec. 123.006.  REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2010, the
  department shall report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
  speaker of the house of representatives on the program. The report
  shall include recommendations for continuation of the program and
  expansion of the program to other regions of the state that may be
  particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats, disaster, and
  other emergencies.
         Sec. 123.007.  EXPIRATION. This chapter expires and the
  program is abolished September 2, 2011.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2009.