BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2418

By: Cosper

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that there is a gap in the training requirements for a subset of individuals employed by a health care facility to practice surgical technology. H.B. 2418 seeks to establish continuing education requirements for those individuals.  

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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. 2418 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the following persons employed by a health care facility to practice surgical technology to complete 15 hours of continuing education each year and submit evidence of the satisfactory completion of the continuing education to the facility: a person who has completed an appropriate training program for surgical technology in the U.S. military or the U.S. Public Health Service, a person who was employed to practice surgical technology in a health care facility before September 1, 2009, and a person who does not meet applicable requirements but who is authorized to be employed at a facility under certain conditions. The bill prohibits a facility from continuing to employ the person if the person does not complete the required continuing education but expressly does not require such a person to complete the continuing education before September 1, 2018.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.