BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center

C.S.S.B. 463

89R20413 KRM-F

By: Campbell

 

Health & Human Services

 

4/10/2025

 

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace violence against healthcare workers has increased, as previously established violence prevention programs have become less effective. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that workplace violence requiring time away from work is four times more common in the healthcare industry than in private sectors such as retail, construction, and manufacturing.

 

S.B. 240 (88R), which passed the Senate unanimously (31�0) and was signed into law, is landmark legislation designed to protect healthcare workers from workplace violence. However, the legal department at the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has determined that S.B. 240 applies only to home health services, inadvertently exempting all other provider types.

 

S.B. 463 addresses this oversight by removing the restrictive language and ensuring that all service categories under the home and community support services agency (HCSSA) license are covered.

 

Key Provisions:

  1. Amends Section 331.001(3) of the Health and Safety Code by striking the language that inadvertently narrowed the scope of S.B. 240.
  2. The bill amends the definition of "facility" to remove the requirement that home and community support services agencies must specifically provide home health services to be covered. 

 

Committee Substitute:

  1. Expands workplace violence protections to intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and state supported living centers (SSLCs).

 

C.S.S.B. 463 amends current law relating to the definition of facility for purposes of workplace violence prevention requirements.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 331.001(3), Health and Safety Code, to redefine "facility."

 

SECTION 2. Requires a home and community support services agency, intermediate care facility for individuals with an intellectual disability, or state supported living center that becomes subject to Chapter 331 (Workplace Violence Prevention), Health and Safety Code, under Section 331.001 (Definitions), Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, not later than September 1, 2026, to comply with the requirements of that chapter.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2025.