By: Thierry, et al. H.B. No. 852

(Senate Sponsor - Kolkhorst, et al.)

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 17, 2023; April 18, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on Health & Human Services; May 8, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 8, 2023, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 852 By: Kolkhorst

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the composition of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 34.002(b), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The review committee is a multidisciplinary advisory committee within the department and is composed of the following 23 [17] members:

(1) 21 [15] members appointed by the commissioner as follows:

(A) four physicians specializing in obstetrics, at least one of whom is a maternal fetal medicine specialist;

(B) one certified nurse-midwife;

(C) one registered nurse;

(D) one nurse specializing in labor and delivery;

(E) one physician specializing in family practice;

(F) one physician specializing in psychiatry;

(G) one physician specializing in pathology;

(H) one epidemiologist, biostatistician, or researcher of pregnancy-related deaths;

(I) one social worker or social service provider;

(J) two [one] community members with experience [advocate] in a relevant health care field, including a field involving the analysis of health care data, one of whom must represent an urban area of this state and one of whom must represent a rural area of this state;

(K) one medical examiner or coroner responsible for recording deaths; [and]

(L) one physician specializing in critical care;

(M) one physician specializing in emergency care;

(N) one physician specializing in cardiology;

(O) one physician specializing in anesthesiology;

(P) one physician specializing in oncology; and

(Q) one representative of a managed care organization;

(2) a representative of the department's family and community health programs; and

(3) the state epidemiologist for the department or the epidemiologist's designee.

SECTION 2. Section 34.003(a), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Review committee members appointed by the commissioner serve staggered six-year terms, with one-third or as near as possible to one-third of the members' terms [of four or five members, as appropriate,] expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.

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