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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the installation of bollards or another safety barrier |
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adjacent to certain hospital emergency rooms. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter B, Chapter 311, Health |
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and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER B. EMERGENCY SERVICES; EMERGENCY ROOMS |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 311, Health and Safety |
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Code, is amended by adding Section 311.025 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 311.025. EMERGENCY ROOM CRASH BARRIERS REQUIRED AT |
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CERTAIN HOSPITALS. (a) In this section, "hospital" means a |
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hospital licensed under Chapter 241, except that the term does not |
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include a hospital that: |
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(1) is located in a county with a population of 68,750 |
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or less; or |
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(2) has been designated by the Centers for Medicare |
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and Medicaid Services as a critical access hospital, rural referral |
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center, or sole community hospital and: |
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(A) is not located in a metropolitan statistical |
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area; or |
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(B) if the hospital has 100 or fewer beds, is |
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located in a metropolitan statistical area. |
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(b) If a hospital maintains an emergency room located near |
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an area with vehicular traffic, the hospital shall install and |
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maintain crash-rated bollards or another similar safety barrier |
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adjacent to the emergency room in a manner likely to prevent a motor |
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vehicle from crashing into the emergency room. |
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(c) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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Services Commission shall adopt rules as necessary to implement |
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this section. |
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SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
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date of this Act but not later than December 1, 2025, the executive |
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commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall |
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adopt rules as required by Section 311.025(c), Health and Safety |
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Code, as added by this Act. |
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(b) A hospital to which Section 311.025, Health and Safety |
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Code, as added by this Act, applies: |
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(1) is not required to comply with the requirements of |
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that section until January 1, 2026; and |
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(2) is not required to reinstall or install additional |
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bollards or safety barriers if the hospital has, before the |
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effective date of this Act, installed crash-rated bollards or |
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another similar safety barrier adjacent to the hospital's emergency |
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room. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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* * * * * |