Tex. Health & Safety Code § 256.003 · Chapter 256. SAFE PATIENT HANDLING, MOVEMENT, AND DISCHARGE PRACTICES
PROHIBITED DISCHARGE OF PATIENTS TO CERTAIN GROUP-CENTERED FACILITIES.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) Subject to Subsection (b), a hospital or other health facility may discharge or otherwise release a patient to the care of a group home, boarding home facility, or similar group-centered facility only if the person who operates the group-centered facility holds a license or permit issued in accordance with applicable state law.
(b) A hospital or other health facility may discharge or otherwise release a patient to the care of a group home, boarding home facility, or similar group-centered facility operated by a person who does not hold a license or permit issued in accordance with applicable state law only if:
(1) no group-centered facility is operated in the county in which the patient is discharged by a person who holds the applicable license or permit; or
(2) the patient voluntarily elects to reside in the group-centered facility of the unlicensed or unpermitted person.
(c) A hospital or other health facility is not liable for damages to a patient resulting from the patient's discharge or release to a group home, boarding home facility, or similar group-centered facility under Subsection (b).
(d) A local health authority may not issue an order authorizing a hospital or health facility to discharge or release a patient to a group-centered facility in a manner that conflicts with this section.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1045 (S.B. 186), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.256.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 74fa1b027c369f40e72222d16971e66bdc585aa9567a6c1ad3346e2708d4b6f3
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.