HBA-DMH H.B. 640 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 640 By: Turner, Sylvester Public Health 4/6/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Department of Health (TDH) establishes sanitation standards for public restrooms in public buildings. Currently, schools are exempt from the standards established by TDH which maintain restrooms in good order to preclude the probability of disease transmission. House Bill 640 requires TDH to adopt reasonable rules regarding sanitation in public school restrooms and provides minimum requirements. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Department of Health in SECTION 1 (Section 341.065, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 640 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas Department of Health (department) to adopt reasonable rules regarding sanitation in public school restrooms. The bill provides that the rules must require at a minimum that a restroom provide hand cleaner, a sanitary method to dry hands, and hot and cold running water. The bill requires the department to send any such proposed rules to the Texas Education Agency for review and comment. The bill requires the department to inspect each public school for compliance with adopted rules at least once every three years, and to allow school districts reasonable time to comply with adopted rules. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.