Honorable Jimmie Don Aycock, Chair, House Committee on Public Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2847 by Crownover (relating to policies and training regarding the use of epinephrine auto-injectors by school districts and open-enrollment charter schools; providing immunity.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require the Commissioner of State Health Services to establish an advisory committee on the use of epinephrine auto-injectors on a person experiencing an anaphylactic reaction on a school campus.
The bill would permit school districts and open enrollment charter schools to adopt and implement a policy regarding the maintenance, administration, and disposal of epinephrine auto-injectors at each campus in the district or school. The bill would require that each school district and open-enrollment charter school that adopted such a policy be responsible for training school personnel and school volunteers in the administration of epinephrine auto-injectors. School districts would be required to provide written notice of the policy to parents or guardians of students before the start of each school year.
The bill would require the Commissioner of Education and Commissioner of State Health Services to adopt rules, applicable to each district or charter school that had adopted such a policy, regarding the maintenance, administration, and disposal of epinephrine auto-injectors, including the number of epinephrine auto-injectors required to be available at each campus that was subject to the policy.
The bill would require school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to report to the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of State Health Services the administration of an epinephrine auto-injector.
Based on the analysis of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
School districts could incur costs to purchase and maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors, provide training, and provide written notifications to parents or guardians. These costs would be voluntary.
School districts and open-enrollment charter schools could accept gifts, donations, grants, and federal and local funds to defray some of the costs for implementing the program.
Source Agencies:
537 State Health Services, Department of, 701 Central Education Agency