87R5393 JG-D
 
  By: Campos H.B. No. 1222
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the compilation and publication of information on
  confirmed or probable cases of reportable diseases.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 81.047, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 81.047.  EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REPORTS; COMPILATION AND
  PUBLICATION OF CERTAIN REPORT INFORMATION. (a) Subject to the
  confidentiality requirements of this chapter, the department shall
  require epidemiological reports of disease outbreaks and of
  individual cases of disease suspected or known to be of importance
  to the public health. The department shall evaluate the reports to
  determine the trends involved and the nature and magnitude of the
  hazards.
         (b)  The department shall, based on the information included
  in the epidemiological reports required by Subsection (a), compile,
  aggregate, and publish on the department's Internet website
  information on the number of confirmed or probable cases of each
  reportable disease included in the reports. The case information
  must be:
               (1)  aggregated based on:
                     (A)  the reportable disease;
                     (B)  the date each case of a reportable disease is
  reported to the department; and
                     (C)  the probable source of infection for each
  case of a reportable disease; and
               (2)  updated regularly as determined by the
  commissioner.
         (c)  During a public health disaster declared for a
  reportable disease under this chapter, the department shall, based
  on the information included in the epidemiological reports required
  by Subsection (a), compile, aggregate, and publish on the
  department's Internet website information on the number of
  confirmed or probable cases of the disease, including the number of
  deaths caused by or suspected of being caused by the disease. The
  case information must be:
               (1)  aggregated based on:
                     (A)  the date each case of the disease is reported
  to the department;
                     (B)  the probable source of infection for each
  case of the disease; and
                     (C)  the date of each death and total number of
  deaths caused by or suspected of being caused by the disease; and
               (2)  updated daily.
         (d)  In publishing information required under this section,
  the department may not disclose a patient's personally identifiable
  information or information that is confidential under state or
  federal law.
         SECTION 2.  Section 81.047, Health and Safety Code, as
  amended by this Act, applies only to case information submitted on
  or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.