- Click here for info from the Texas Tribune's Texas Legislative Guide.
According to the Texas Tribune, there was little activity on that front and nothing actually passed with the exception of a bill that "would allow terminally ill patients who have exhausted other treatment options to try experimental drugs that have passed at least the first of three FDA trial phases." This is called a "right to try bill." As of this writing it is sitting on the governor's desk for a possible signature or veto.
- Click here for the legislative history of HB 21.
- Click here for an analysis of the bill.
- Texas Tribune: Lawmakers Push "Right to Try" Experimental Drugs.
- Texas Tribune: House Backs Bill Pushing "Right to Try" Experimental Drugs.
Two bills related to end of life care for pregnant women did not go far. The bills offered competing proposals about the status of pregnant women who are on life support. One would have allowed the family to take her off life support, while the other would have mandated she be kept alive until the child was born.
Here are the two bills:
- HB 1901.
- HB 3183.
And two stories related to the proposals. including the incident that has driven each bill:
- Texas Tribune: Lawmakers Consider End-of-Life Care for Pregnant Women.
- Texas Tribune: Competing Bills Filed Over End-of-Life Care for Pregnant Women.
Other states are far more involved in end of life issues, including questions related to the degree of control people should have other these decisions. Perhaps the most controversial of these is the question about whether there is a right to die, and whether people have the right - as a result - to have assistance in suicide should they have a terminal disease.
The recent case of Brittany Maynard last year brought this to the public agenda. Only five states recognize a right to die, these are Vermont, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and New Mexico. It would be interesting to analyze why Texas is resistant to these laws - I would suspect religious objections matter.
That doesn't mean that there might be efforts to bring items like this to the legislature in the future though. Apparently the bulk of spending on health care happens in the final years of life, which means that if this is phrased as a spending issue, it may have traction.
Update: I missed this one: HB 3074.
Here's info from Wikipedia:
In 2015, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed HB 3074 by State Representative Drew Springer (R-Gainesville), a bill to stop dehydration and starvation of persons with disabilities by reforming the aspect of the statute which allowed healthcare providers to remove artificial nutrition and hydration against a patient's wishes. HB 3074 is the first reform effort to garner universal support from advocacy groups and boasted 4 joint authors and 81 co-authors in the House of Representatives. It was unopposed in the House and Senate and awaits the governors' signature. It is the first reform to the Texas Advance Directives Act since 2003.
