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Austin Public Health summarizes Texas Legislature changes that limit local authority on immunizations, food permitting and DEI programs
Summary
At a July meeting, Austin Public Health staff reviewed dozens of bills from the 89th Texas Legislature that staff say shift authority to the state and could weaken local immunization enforcement, reduce local food permitting, and curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Juanita Jackson, staff liaison with Austin Public Health, briefed the Public Health Commission on bills from the 89th Texas Legislature and their likely effects on local public-health programs.
Jackson said the department tracked 149 bills assigned to Austin Public Health and noted that roughly two dozen had passed as of June 22. She said the session produced measures affecting immunization records, school admissions, mobile food permitting, drug-testing equipment, diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) programs, and emergency-preparedness authorities.
Jackson told commissioners that immunization-related bills the department tracked include SB 94, which she described as prohibiting schools and childcare facilities from denying admission for individuals who submitted exemption documentation; HB 1586, which she said revises the immunization exemption process and removes security restrictions on affidavit forms; and two identical bills, cited as SB 46 and HB 772, that change…
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