On June 15, 2007, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed into law S.B. 1566, the Texas Bleeding Disorders Advisory Council Act. The new law establishes a Bleeding Disorders Advisory Council, which will be appointed jointly by the Commissioners of State Health Services and Insurance. It will study and advise the Departments of State Health Services and Insurance and the Health and Human Services Commission on matters related to the health and well-being of people with bleeding and clotting disorders in the state.

Texas is now the second state to have adopted a version of NHF’s model Bleeding Disorders Advisory Board bill since the campaign was announced at its 2007 Washington Days. In March, Iowa was the first state to pass the legislation. Illinois and Massachusetts are considering similar legislation. A decision in Massachusetts is still pending, after public hearings were held on its version of the bill.

NHF applauds the efforts of Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston), who pushed the legislation, and the members and staff of the Lone Star Chapter of NHF and the Texas Central Hemophilia Association, which helped get the bill passed.

The NHF Public Policy Department is supporting a variety of legislative and other policy initiatives throughout the country to help ensure access to high-quality care for people with bleeding disorders. For more information on our initiatives or to bring an issue to our attention, visit the Advocacy Center on the NHF Web site, or contact Ruthlyn Noel, NHF Manager of Public Policy: 212.328.3730 or rnoel@hemophilia.org.