HBA-NMO H.B. 3334 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3334 By: McClendon Public Health 4/16/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current efforts to exchange healthcare information and technical assistance between Texas and Mexico may not be delivering their full potential. H.B. 3334 establishes the interim committee on binational exchange of health information to study state laws inhibiting the exchange of information on disease and epidemiological reporting between Texas and Mexico. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the interim committee on binational exchange of health information in SECTION 1 of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. (a) Establishes the interim committee on binational exchange of health information to study state laws inhibiting the exchange of information on disease and epidemiological reporting between Texas and the United Mexican States. (b) Provides that the interim committee is composed of five members of the senate, appointed by the lieutenant governor; and five members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. (c) Requires the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to alternate the designation of a presiding officer and vice presiding officer from among the members appointed to the committee, with each officer serving in that capacity for not more than one year. Requires the lieutenant governor to designate the first presiding officer and requires the speaker of the house of representatives to designate the first vice presiding officer. (d) Requires the committee to meet at the call of the presiding officer. (e) Requires the committee to study state laws inhibiting the exchange of information on disease and epidemiological reporting between Texas and the United Mexican States, and state laws inhibiting the cross-border exchange of equipment and personnel to provide technical assistance and to enhance the capacity of Texas and the United Mexican States to obtain and exchange the information. (f) Requires the committee, not later than January 15, 2001, to issue a report describing the committee's recommendations to the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives. (g) Requires the committee to adopt rules to administer this section. (h) Provides that the committee is abolished and that this section expires September 1, 2001. SECTION 2. Requires the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives, before November 1, 1999, to appoint members to the interim committee on binational exchange of information. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.