| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a grant program for, and a study on, reducing workplace |
|
|
violence in certain health facilities. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 1001, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
|
|
by adding Subchapter J to read as follows: |
|
|
SUBCHAPTER J. WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION GRANTS FOR CERTAIN |
|
|
HEALTH FACILITIES |
|
|
Sec. 1001.301. WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION GRANTS IN |
|
|
HEALTH FACILITIES. (a) The department shall administer a grant |
|
|
program to fund de-escalation and crisis intervention training in |
|
|
health facilities licensed by the department to prevent and reduce |
|
|
instances of workplace violence. |
|
|
(b) To receive a grant, a licensed health facility must |
|
|
demonstrate an elevated risk of workplace violence to facility |
|
|
staff and volunteers and include in the grant application any |
|
|
instance of workplace violence that occurred at the facility in the |
|
|
preceding two years. |
|
|
(c) Not later than the second anniversary of the date a |
|
|
facility receives a grant under this section, the facility shall |
|
|
compile a report describing the effects of the de-escalation and |
|
|
crisis intervention training in the facility, including any change |
|
|
in the number of instances of workplace violence in the facility. |
|
|
(d) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, |
|
|
the department shall submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, |
|
|
and speaker of the house of representatives a report on the grants |
|
|
awarded under this section, including the amount of each grant and |
|
|
the rate of success in reducing instances of workplace violence in |
|
|
the health facilities or in maintaining low rates of workplace |
|
|
violence in the health facilities. |
|
|
(e) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules to |
|
|
implement the grant program, including rules governing the |
|
|
submission and approval of grant requests and establishing a |
|
|
reporting procedure for a grant recipient. |
|
|
SECTION 2. (a) The Department of State Health Services |
|
|
shall conduct a study on workplace violence in health facilities |
|
|
licensed by the department. The study must: |
|
|
(1) determine the facilities with the highest |
|
|
incidence of workplace violence; |
|
|
(2) determine the staff and volunteers in those |
|
|
facilities that are most at risk for workplace violence; and |
|
|
(3) include recommendations on best practices to |
|
|
address workplace violence to prevent its occurrence. |
|
|
(b) Not later than December 31, 2016, the Department of |
|
|
State Health Services shall submit a report containing the results |
|
|
of the study conducted under Subsection (a) of this section to the |
|
|
governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of |
|
|
representatives. |
|
|
(c) This section expires December 31, 2017. |
|
|
SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
|
|
Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement |
|
|
Section 1001.301, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |