BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2270

By: Moody

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The daughter of a constituent in House District 78 died while in her medical residency. Had she taken the time to undergo a comprehensive physical examination, she might have received treatment in a timely manner and not passed away. C.S.H.B. 2270 seeks to increase the number of students, interns, residents, and fellows at public health institutions receiving comprehensive health examinations every year by requiring certain public and nonprofit hospitals to provide no less than six consecutive hours annually to allow a student, intern, resident, or fellow to undergo a comprehensive health examination and to require that the hospital offer to provide the examination for free.

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

C.S.H.B. 2270 amends the Health and Safety Code to require that each contract entered into for the coordinated or cooperative clinical education of dental and medical students, interns, residents, and fellows require a public or nonprofit hospital to provide each student, intern, resident, and fellow who is enrolled at a contracting medical or dental unit or supported medical or dental school and who is also receiving a clinical education at the public or nonprofit hospital at least six consecutive hours of time off each year to undergo a comprehensive health examination. The bill requires the public or nonprofit hospital to offer to provide the examination at no charge and prohibits the hospital from reducing the amount of compensation paid by the hospital to the individual, if any, for time off taken for the examination. The bill applies only to a contract entered into on or after the bill's effective date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2270 may differ from the introduced 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 provision in the introduced requiring the contract to require each applicable student, intern, resident, and fellow to undergo at least one comprehensive health examination each year.

The substitute and introduced share the provision requiring the hospital to provide time off for the examination but the introduced required the hospital to provide a day off on which to receive the annual examination while the substitute requires at least six consecutive hours of time off each year for the examination.