HBA-JRA H.B. 3199 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3199
By: Chavez
Public Health
3/22/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Lay health promoters, or promotoras, serve as bilingual liaisons between
health care providers and their patients along the Texas-Mexico border.
Uniform training and certification programs for promotoras may improve
health care in border communities and enable clinics, hospitals, and
patients to know what type of training promotoras have received.  The
Health Education Training Centers Alliance of Texas has developed a uniform
curriculum for training and educating promotoras, but the state does not
currently offer training or certification programs for them.  H.B. 3199
requires the Texas Department of Health to establish voluntary training and
certification programs for promotoras. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Board of Health in SECTION 1
(Section 46.003, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Chapter 46, as follows: 

CHAPTER 46.  TRAINING AND REGULATION OF PROMOTORAS

Sec. 46.001.  DEFINITION.  Defines "promotora" as a person who, with or
without compensation, provides a bilingual liaison between health care
providers and patients through a variety of activities. 

Sec. 46.002.  PROMOTORA TRAINING PROGRAM.  Requires the Texas Department of
Health (TDH) to establish and operate a program designed to train and
educate promotoras using the uniform curriculum for training and educating
promotoras developed by the Health Education Training Centers Alliance of
Texas as a resource to the extent possible.  Provides that participation in
a training and education program established under this section is
voluntary. 

Sec. 46.003.  CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR PROMOTORAS.  Requires TDH to
establish and operate a certification program for promotoras.  Requires the
Texas Board of Health (board) to adopt rules that provide minimum standards
and guidelines, including participation in the training and education
program under Section 46.002, for issuance of a certificate.  Prohibits the
receipt of a certificate issued under this section from being a requirement
for acting as a promotora. 

SECTION 2.  (a)  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

(b)  Requires TDH to establish the promotora training and certification
program by January 1, 2000.  Requires the board to adopt rules as necessary
under this Act by December 1, 1999.  

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.