Bill: HB 2770, 84(R) - 2015
Committee
House Urban Affairs
Companion Bill
SB 1574
Vote Recommendation
| Vote Recommendation |
Economic Freedom |
Property Rights |
Personal Responsibility |
Limited Government |
Individual Liberty |
| Yes |
Neutral |
Neutral |
Positive |
Neutral |
Positive |
Author(s)
Armando Martinez
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.
