By: Guerra H.B. No. 3576       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the collection and release of information on the Zika   virus and other high consequence communicable diseases for certain   purposes.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 81.046(c), Health and Safety Code, as   amended by Chapter 789 (H.B. 2646), Acts of the 84th Legislature,   Regular Session, 2015, and Chapter 1278 (S.B. 1574), Acts of the   84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is reenacted and amended   to read as follows:          (c)  Medical or epidemiological information, including   information linking a person who is exposed to a person with a   communicable disease, may be released:                (1)  for statistical purposes if released in a manner   that prevents the identification of any person;                (2)  with the consent of each person identified in the   information;                (3)  to medical personnel treating the individual,   appropriate state agencies in this state or another state, a health   authority or local health department in this state or another   state, or federal, county, or district courts to comply with this   chapter and related rules relating to the control and treatment of   communicable diseases and health conditions or under another state   or federal law that expressly authorizes the disclosure of this   information;                (4)  to appropriate federal agencies, such as the   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States   Public Health Service, but, except as provided under Subsection   (c-3), the information must be limited to the name, address, sex,   race, and occupation of the patient, the date of disease onset, the   probable source of infection, and other requested information   relating to the case or suspected case of a communicable disease or   health condition;                (5)  to medical personnel to the extent necessary in a   medical emergency to protect the health or life of the person   identified in the information;                (6)  to governmental entities that provide first   responders who may respond to a situation involving a potential   communicable disease of concern and need the information to   properly respond to the situation; or                (7)  to a local health department or health authority   for a designated monitoring period based on the potential risk for   developing symptoms of a communicable disease of concern.          SECTION 2.  Section 81.046, Health and Safety Code, is   amended by adding Subsection (c-3) to read as follows:          (c-3)  The following medical or epidemiological information   relating to a patient or an individual who has or is suspected of   having a present or potential health condition resulting from   exposure to a high consequence communicable disease, such as the   Zika virus, may be released to an appropriate federal agency that   requests the information for the purpose of creating a multistate   registry of cases of the communicable disease:                (1)  the name, address, sex, race, and occupation of   the patient or individual;                (2)  the date of the onset of the health condition   onset, as applicable;                (3)  the probable source of infection or exposure; and                (4)  other requested information relating to the case   or suspected case of the infection.          SECTION 3.  Sections 81.061(a) and (c), Health and Safety   Code, are amended to read as follows:          (a)  The department shall investigate the causes and effects    of communicable disease and methods of prevention.          (c)  The department may investigate the existence of   communicable disease in the state to determine the nature and   extent of the disease and potential effects on the health of   individuals   and to formulate and evaluate the control measures used   to protect the public health. A person shall provide records and   other information to the department on request according to the   department's written instructions.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.