HBA-MSH S.B. 1051 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1051
By: Shapleigh
Public Health
5/17/2001
Committee Report (Amended)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

A promotora is a person who with or without compensation provides a liaison
between health care providers and patients through activities that include
assisting in case conferences, providing patient education, making
referrals to health and social services, conducting needs assessments,
distributing surveys to identify barriers to health care delivery, making
home visits, and providing language services.  Promotoras and community
health workers play a key role in minimizing many of the health and social
services barriers encountered by individuals living in economically
distressed areas of the state. Although the Texas Department of Health
(TDH) currently operates a promotora training and certification program,
participation is on a voluntary basis. Senate Bill 1051 requires promotoras
and community health workers who receive compensation for their services to
undergo training and certification by TDH. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 1051 amends the Health and Safety Code to include community
health workers in provisions relating to the training and regulation of
promotoras.   In establishing a program to train promotoras or community
health workers, the bill requires TDH to consider the report and any
findings of and implement any applicable recommendations of the Promotora
Program Development Committee, and removes the requirement that TDH use as
a resource the uniform curriculum for training and educating promotoras
developed by the Health Education Training Centers Alliance of Texas.  The
bill provides that participation in a training and education program
established under this section is voluntary for a promotora or community
health worker who provides services without receiving any compensation and
mandatory for a promotora or community health worker who provides services
for compensation.  In adopting the minimum standards and guidelines for a
certification program for promotoras and community health workers, the bill
requires the Texas Board of Health to consider the report and any findings
of and adopt any applicable recommendations of the Promotora Program
Development Committee.  The bill prohibits receipt of a certificate issued
under these provisions from being a requirement for a person to act as a
promotora or community health worker without receiving any compensation and
specifies that receipt of certificate is a requirement for a person to act
as a promotora or community health worker for compensation. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Committee Amendment No. 1 authorizes the Texas Board of Health to adopt
rules to exempt from mandatory training a promotora or community health
worker who has served for three or more years or who has 1,000 or more
hours of experience.