BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 123

By: Veasey

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Diabetes is a disruptive and sometimes life-threatening and disfiguring disease for millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Texans. However, type II diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, often can be prevented or delayed with certain diet and lifestyle changes. H.B. 123 seeks to help in the battle against this disease by authorizing the Department of State Health Services to assist hospital districts and county hospital systems in certain counties in providing an adult diabetes education program.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 123 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize the Department of State Health Services, in a county with a population of more than 100,000, to assist hospital districts and county hospital systems in providing an adult diabetes education program. The bill requires the program to be based on a curriculum developed by the Texas Diabetes Council. The bill requires a hospital district or county hospital system that participates in the program to make the adult diabetes education program available in English and Spanish using the curriculum developed by the Texas Diabetes Council and make the education program available in the county, including at each rural health clinic the district or system may have. The bill requires the Texas Diabetes Council to develop for the adult diabetes education program a curriculum emphasizing life choices that enable a diabetic patient to control the disease and improve the patient's standard of living. The bill requires the Texas Diabetes Council to develop the curriculum for the program not later than June 1, 2012.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.