Texas Senate bill by Sen. Hinojosa mandates death information sharing with hospitals

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Juan Hinojosa seeks to establish a procedure for sharing death information with hospitals to support their participation in the Medicaid managed care program, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 54 Democrats and 84 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Juan Hinojosa introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Thursday, Feb. 20, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Hinojosa graduated from Pan American University with a BS and again from Georgetown University with a JD.

Hinojosa, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2003 to represent the state’s 20th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Carlos Truan.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to death records maintained by the vital statistics unit of the Department of State Health Services and provided to certain hospitals’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates the Department of State Health Services to establish an efficient procedure to provide death information, including the county of residence, date of birth, and full name of deceased individuals, to hospitals licensed under Chapter 241, to assist with their participation in the Medicaid managed care program. The bill allows a delay in implementation if a state agency requires a federal waiver or authorization. This act is set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.