Honorable Stephanie Klick, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4272 by Klick (Relating to requirements for information contained in the immunization registry.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB4272, As Introduced : a negative impact of ($2,900,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2022
($2,100,000)
2023
($800,000)
2024
$0
2025
$0
2026
$0
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2022
($2,100,000)
2023
($800,000)
2024
$0
2025
$0
2026
$0
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to establish a process for a first responder or an immediate family member to access the immunization information of a first responder.
The bill would require DSHS to maintain information collected on administrations of immunizations and medications for disasters and emergencies for seven years. The bill would require DSHS to make at least two attempts to provide notice that an individual's disaster-related immunization records would be removed from the immunization registry prior to the expiration of the seven-year period unless consent is provided for continued inclusion.
The bill would require DSHS to have employers affirm that a first responder is currently employed by them prior to receiving access to the first responder's immunization history.
The bill would require DSHS to develop and maintain a secure internet portal through which an individual or the individual's legally authorized representative could request to exclude the individual's immunization records from the immunization registry.
Methodology
The analysis assumes DSHS could establish a process for a first responder or an immediate family member to access the immunization information of a first responder using existing resources.
According to DSHS, there would be significant costs to implement the provisions of the bill requiring the agency to make at least two attempts to provide notice that an individual's disaster-related immunization records would be removed from the immunization registry, but those costs would not occur until seven years after the implementation of the bill. DSHS estimates that the immunization registry will contain approximately 18 million records for individuals who have received disaster-related COVID-19 vaccines, and that costs to provide the required notice by mail to individuals without a listed phone number would be approximately $5.1 million starting in fiscal year 2028.
The analysis assumes DSHS could establish a process to have employers affirm that the first responder is currently employed by them prior to receiving access to the first responder's immunization history using existing resources.
Technology
The analysis assumes technology-related costs would be $2.1 million in fiscal year 2022 and $0.8 million in fiscal year 2023. These costs would be for application/system modifications and auxiliary technology services for ImmTrac2, the Texas immunization registry, in order to develop the secure internet portal required by the bill.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
529 Hlth & Human Svcs Comm, 537 State Health Services