BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4068

By: Beckley

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that the number of cases of bacterial meningitis, which is a severe illness that can lead to death or permanent disability among children, is unacceptably high and that vaccination can decrease these numbers. C.S.H.B. 4068 seeks to address this issue by requiring each public education student to be fully immunized against bacterial meningitis.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4068 amends the Education Code to require each student to be fully immunized against bacterial meningitis in accordance with the most recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, subject to certain exceptions. The bill requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission, not later than June 1, 2020, to adopt the rules necessary to implement the bill's provisions. The bill applies beginning with the 2020-2021 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4068 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not include the requirement for a student to show proof of a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine and booster dose in accordance with the recommended immunization schedule adopted by the Department of State Health Services.

The substitute includes a specification that the required immunization be in accordance with the most recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bill extends the deadline for the executive commissioner to adopt necessary rules from December 1, 2019, to June 1, 2020.