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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to border health programs conducted by the Department of |
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State Health Services in collaboration with Mexican and federal |
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authorities. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter F, Chapter 12, Health |
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and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER F. [OFFICE OF] BORDER HEALTH |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 12, Health and Safety |
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Code, is amended by adding Section 12.075 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 12.075. BORDER HEALTH PROGRAMS WITH MEXICO. The |
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department, in collaboration with the Office of State-Federal |
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Relations and appropriate federal agencies, shall for counties |
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located along the international border with Mexico: |
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(1) increase collaboration between local, state, and |
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federal public health agencies in this state and local, state, and |
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federal public health agencies in Mexico; |
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(2) expand vector-borne disease surveillance, |
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testing, and insecticide resistance testing and collaborate with |
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the appropriate Mexican authorities to expand that surveillance and |
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testing in the Mexican states located along the Texas-Mexico |
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border; |
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(3) expand border infectious disease surveillance |
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projects provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and |
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Prevention; |
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(4) support sister-city binational health councils by |
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establishing binational epidemiology and surveillance teams to |
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exchange information between local governmental agencies in this |
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state and in Mexico; |
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(5) formalize public health surveillance, testing, |
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information sharing, and public health mitigation strategies |
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between local and state health departments, the United States, and |
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the appropriate counterparts in Mexico by: |
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(A) establishing and entering into a memorandum |
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of understanding or other agreement; and |
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(B) establishing appropriate protocols and |
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procedures; and |
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(6) participate in binational sister-city, state, and |
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national conferences on strategies for increasing collaboration, |
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communication, and protocol sharing between jurisdictions impacted |
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by local and international public health concerns. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |