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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

S.B. 1929

By: Kolkhorst

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties note the critical information provided by the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force on maternal mortality and morbidity trends and demographics in Texas and contend that work still needs to be done to more directly address the causes of pregnancy-related deaths in Texas. S.B. 1929 seeks to address this issue.

 

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

 

S.B. 1929 amends the Health and Safety Code to include among the topics the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force is required to study and review rates or disparities in pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity. The bill gives the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) the option of selecting all cases of pregnancy-related deaths for the task force to review to reflect a cross-section of pregnancy-related deaths in Texas as an alternative to randomly selecting such cases. The bill specifies that the DSHS analysis of aggregate data of severe maternal morbidity in Texas to identify any trends must be a statistical analysis, extends that required analysis to data of pregnancy-related deaths in Texas, and expands the purposes of the analysis to identifying rates or disparities.

 

S.B. 1929 requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to evaluate options for reducing maternal mortality, focusing on the most prevalent causes of maternal mortality as identified in the DSHS and task force's joint biennial report, and for treating postpartum depression in economically disadvantaged women; submit a written report that summarizes HHSC efforts to accomplish such tasks to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the Legislative Budget Board, and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year; and, to the extent authorized by state and federal law, apply for federal money to fund the screening and treatment of postpartum depression under federal law and consider the recommendations contained in the DSHS and task force's joint biennial report in using any federal grant money received.

 

S.B. 1929 postpones from September 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, the date on which the task force is abolished and provisions relating to the task force expire unless continued in existence as provided by the Texas Sunset Act.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2017.