Public Health: Health Policy

Tarrant County - The perfect mix of cowboys and culture

TEXT ONLY
View sub-linksAbout Us
View sub-linksClient Services
Community Youth Development
View sub-linksDisease Prevention & Control
View sub-linksEnvironmental/Consumer Protection
Fetal and Infant Mortality Review
View sub-linksHealth Data & Information
View sub-linksHealth Education
Health Policy
HIPAA
View sub-linksNews Items & Publications
Nurse-Family Partnership
Obesity Prevention
View sub-linksPress Releases
Public Health Alerts / Recalls
View sub-linksPublic Health Preparedness
View sub-linksService Locations
View sub-linksSpecial Events & Activities
Travel Health Services
VFC Provider Info
Public Health
Home
Log in
Click here to register and receive eAlerts
Tarrant County Public Health - Safeguarding Our Community's Health
Health Planning & Policy

Health Policy

Texas Capitol Building
 

Every day, the people of Tarrant County are protected by public policies. Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) works with state and local representatives to shape public policy to address public health issues such as obesity, tobacco control, disaster preparedness, vaccine standards, disease control and environmental health. Public policy is an effective vehicle in affecting broad and lasting change.

 

Although legislative sessions are held only in odd-numbered years, informing and educating state and local representatives about public health issues and the policies that support health is a continual process. By the time a bill is introduced, several months -- if not years -- of groundwork has been laid. Diligence and planning are key to the policy process.

 

82nd Texas Legislature Regular and Special Sessions 

The Regular Session adjourned on May 30, 2011 and the 30-day Special Session (a.k.a. First Called Session) was completed on June 29, 2011.  There were a total of 5,910 pieces of legislation proposed and accepted in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the 170 days of deliberations and debates.  Those that were related to public health were reviewed by the leadership at TCPH.  As  both sessions came to a close, a total of 1,387 pieces of legislation passed both chambers of the legislature and reached the governor's desk.  June 19, 2011 was the deadline for Governor Perry to either sign or veto legislation.  The following passed public health bills, 14 from the House and 17 from the Senate (with one Senate bill being passed during the Special Session), were closely tracked by TCPH:

 

BILL # AUTHOR(S) CO-AUTHOR(S) DESCRIPTION EFFECTIVE
DATE
HB 114
Reps. McClendon (D), Alvarado (D) and Susan King (R)
N/A
 
Relating to designating April as Minority Cancer Awareness Month.
 
9/1/2011 

HB 123

Reps. Veasey (D) and Alonzo (D)

N/A

 

Relating to an adult diabetes education program in certain county hospital systems and hospital districts.

 
9/1/2011
HB 240
Representative
Parker (R)
N/A
 
Relating to requiring the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to adopt rules preventing access to on-site sewage disposal systems.
 
9/1/2011
HB 300
Reps. Kolkhorst (R) and 
Naishtat (D)
Reps. Flynn (R), Laubenberg (R), Legler (R), Murphy (R), Todd Smith (R), Torres (R), Truitt (R) and Zedler (R)
 
Relating to the privacy of protected health information; providing administrative, civil, and criminal penalties.
 
9/1/2012
HB 451
Reps. Lucio III (D), Creighton (R),  Branch (R) and Bohac (R)
N/A
 
Relating to the creation of a Don't Mess with Texas Water program to prevent illegal dumping that affects the surface waters of this state.
 
9/1/2011
HB 692
Representative
Farias (D)
N/A

 

Relating to high school graduation requirements for a student who is unable to participate in physical activity due to disability or illness.

 
Immediately 
HB 824
Representative
Villareal (D)
 
Reps. Allen (D)
and Chisum (R)
 
Relating to an outreach campaign to promote fathers' involvement with their children before birth.
 
Immediately
HB 871
Representative
Yvonne Davis (D)
N/A
 
Relating to indigent health care services that may be provided by a county.
 
9/1/2011
HB 1386
Reps. Coleman (D), Farrar (D) and Marquez (D)

Reps. Alvarado (D)

and Walle (D)

    
 
Relating to the public health threat presented by youth suicide and the qualification of certain persons serving as marriage and family therapists in school districts.
 
Immediately
HB 1942
Reps. Diane Patrick (R), 
Shelton (R), Strama (R), Eissler (R) and Guillen (D) 
 
Reps. Alvarado (D), Aycock (R), Burnam  (D), Dukes (D), Farias (D), Veronica Gonzales (D), Gutierrez  (D), Hernandez Luna (D), Johnson (D), Susan King (R), Lucio III (D), Madden (R), Marquez (D), Menendez (D), Miles (D), Naishtat (D), Pena (D) and Reynolds (D)
 
Relating to bullying in public schools.
Immediately
HB 1965
Reps. Kolkhorst (R), Zerwas (R), Naishtat (D), Branch (R) and Bohac (R)
Reps. Cook (R),  Harless (R), Lozano (D) and 
White (R)

 

Relating to the expansion of faith- and community-based health and human services initiatives.

 
Immediately
HB 1981
Representative
Wayne Smith (R)
Representative 
Hernandez Luna (D)
 
Relating to measuring, monitoring, and reporting emissions.
 
9/1/2011
HB 2312
 
Reps. Coleman (D) and Miles (D)
 
 
N/A
 
Relating to the creation of a sickle cell disease program.
 
Immediately
HB 2315
 
Representative
Coleman (D)
N/A
 

Relating to a county's general revenue levy for indigent health care.

 
Immediately
SB 7
Senator
Nelson (R)
Senators Deuell (R), Duncan (R), Eltife (R), Estes (D), Patrick (R), Seliger (R), Shapiro (R) and Williams (R)
 
Relating to the administration, quality, and efficiency of health care, health and human services, and health benefits programs in this state; creating an offense; providing penalties.
 
9/28/2011, except Sections 1.04(a) and 1.04(d) have no effect and Sections 108.002(18), 108.0025, and 108.009(c), Health and Safety Code, are repealed effective 9/1/2014
 SB 81
Senator
Nelson (R)
N/A
 
Relating to food safety.
 
09/1/2011, except Section 1 takes effect 09/1/2012
 
 SB 89
 
Senator
Lucio (D)
Senators Uresti (D), Van de Putte (D), Watson (D) and 
West (D)
 
Relating to summer nutrition programs provided for by school districts. 
 
 
9/1/2011
 SB 156
 
Senator
Huffman (R)
N/A
 
Relating to health care data collected by the Department of State Health Services and access to certain confidential patient information within the department, including data and confidential patient information concerning bleeding and clotting disorders, and other issues related to bleeding and clotting disorders.
 
9/1/2011
SB 226 
Senator
Nelson (R)
Senator
Van de Putte (D)
 
Relating to reporting individual student performance on a physical fitness assessment instrument to the Texas Education Agency.
 
Immediately
 
SB 335
 
 
Senator
Fraser (R)
 
 
N/A
 
Relating to an exemption from regulation as health spas for certain governmental hospitals and clinics.
 
 
9/1/2011
SB 387
Senator
Williams (R)
 N/A
 
Relating to the sale and consumption in this state of raw oysters harvested from Texas waters.
 
 
Immediately
 
 
SB 436
 
Senator
Nelson (R)
 N/A
 
Relating to the authority of a county to inspect day-care centers and group day-care homes.
 
Immediately
SB 510
 
Senator
Van de Putte (D)
 N/A
 
 Relating to a voluntary statewide diabetes mellitus registry.
 
9/1/2011
SB 736
 
Senator
Hinojosa (D)
 N/A
 
Relating to membership of local school health advisory councils. 
 
Immediately
SB 796
Senator
Nelson (R) 
 N/A
 
 Relating to reporting on and assessing programs for the prevention and treatment of diabetes in the state.
 
9/1/2011
SB 932
 
Senator
Williams (R)
 
 
N/A
 
 
Relating to oyster beds and shells and an oyster shell recovery and replacement program.
 
9/1/2011
 
SB 969
Senator
Nelson (R)
N/A
 
Relating to the establishment of the Public Health Funding and Policy Committee within the Department of State Health Services.
 
9/1/2011 
SB 1107
 
Senator
Wendy Davis (D)
 
Senators Lucio (D)
and Van de Putte (D)
 
Relating to the vaccination against bacterial meningitis of entering students at public and private or independent institutions of higher education.
 
 Immediately
SB 1140
 
Senator
Watson (D)
 N/A
 
Relating to payment by a water control and improvement district for certain damages caused by the district's operation of a sanitary sewer system.
 
Immediately
 
SB 1178
 
Senator
Nelson (R)
N/A 
 
Relating to the regulation of certain shelter day-care facilities, child-care facilities, and individuals providing child-care services, and access to certain criminal history record information; providing an administrative penalty.
 
9/1/2011, except Sections 10, 13, 14, and 16, take effect 9/1/2012
 SB 1421
Senator
Nelson (R)
N/A 
 
Relating to the awarding of grants provided by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. 
 
 9/1/2011
 

For more information on health policy, please contact Yvette M. Jones in the Health Planning & Policy Division at (817) 321-5324 or ymjones@tarrantcounty.com .

 

Additional Resources:

2010-2011 Federal, State & County Elected Officials

Guide to Texas Legislative Information – About the Legislative Process

Legislative Reference Library of Texas  

National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)

Tarrant County Elections

Texas Association of Local Health Officials (TALHO)

Texas Health Institute (THI)

Texas Legislature Online (TLO)

Texas Public Health Association (TPHA)

The Library of Congress THOMAS - Federal Legislation

TPHA Legislative Advocacy Guide - Guidelines for Effective Public Health Advocacy





Content Last Modified on 8/22/2011 10:31:38 AM



Browse  Search  Back  Printable Version  Previous  Next

Tarrant County Public Health, Main Campus
1101 S. Main Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Need help? Call Customer Service at 817-321-4700.

Privacy Policy  |  Accessibility Statement  |  Media Inquiries
Technical (Web) Issues   |   General Information   |   Web Site Awards

Request for Documents under the Public Information Act

County Telephone Operator: 817- 884-1111

Tarrant County provides the information contained in this web site as a public service. Every effort is made to ensure that information provided is correct. However, in any case where legal reliance on information contained in these pages is required, the official records of Tarrant County should be consulted. Tarrant County is not responsible for the content of, nor endorses any site which has a link from the Tarrant County web site.

100 E. Weatherford, Fort Worth, Texas 76196
Copyright 2001-2005 Tarrant County, TX