Bill Caption

Relating to emergency response employees or volunteers and others exposed or potentially exposed to certain diseases or parasites.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

There may be an administrative cost to local governments entities to comply with the provisions of the bill; however, the fiscal impact would vary depending on the resources of the department.

Bill Analysis

The bill would amend chapters in the Code of Criminal Procedures, the Government Code, and the Health and Safety Code. The bill would require an entity that uses emergency response employees or volunteers to designate an infection control officer or alternate designated infection control officer to comply with the following administrative and investigative duties:

• Receive notification of a potential exposure to a reportable disease from a health care facility;
• Notify the appropriate health care providers of potential exposure to a reportable disease;
• Act as a liaison between the entity’s emergency response employees or volunteer and hospital of the patient who was the source of potential exposure;
• Investigate and evaluate an exposure incident, using current evidence-based information on the possible risks of communicable disease presented by the exposure incident; and
• Monitor all follow-up treatment provided to the affected emergency response employee or volunteer, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law.

Vote Recommendation Notes

The purpose of the legislation is to streamline the process and decrease the time in which an emergency response employee or volunteer is notified of a potential exposure to a reportable disease. This would allow emergency responders to be notified of exposure in enough time to hopefully take appropriate measures for their own health and safety, and for the health and safety of the public if they are at risk of exposing others. For these reasons we support HB 2770 on the grounds of individual liberty and personal responsibility.