[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6488486,"mediaKeyId","5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70","parentId",5546020,"title","Public Health Commission approves monthly ex‑officio updates and removes July 1, 2026 meeting","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",4714445,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70&start=4714&end=4714","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70/thumbnail_4714445.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6488486/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Public-Health-Commission-approves-monthly-exofficio-updates-and-removes-July-1-2026-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488486-ceffb5050833099711ef4923b423045c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770487125&Signature=EwyDX7mKfBFNg4EzRcGzs4j7mDUzj0qu-m9Hf7aBbNkieiLjR6D3fLgUCvaYT3Ul11W3sLK0tO043twePxNrLykuA3Y1VYJCDuRm5XRvodg09tONxhtgn0tRUPaPghcePLB9tme9XuQPVu-4jazk1ieTCPQN9cbK-sI~o9M2DrRWYFD244BfXTVFVnaHtkLQ~ZNea1UeTckd7I0DbraMsM5WOdjILqsTvDg5XWWo53BrS2V7kGiWfz-y3HNufhiQxAMZ2nC6HpZvRYnBkTyZGNIG0~7S5jpv~p0qGoOwurVW8QxbrfkFT7UTAcEOgYtU2yyOoQqdMgsdUkUYzLW~FA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-08-06T00:00:00Z","article","The Austin-Travis County Public Health Commission took three formal actions during the meeting: approval of the prior meeting minutes, removal of the July 1, 2026 meeting from the 2026 calendar, and approval of a monthly one-page update request for ex‑officio partners.

At the start of the meeting the commission moved to approve minutes from the Public Health Commission regular meeting on June 4, 2025. The chair called for a motion and the commission voted to approve the minutes; the chair reminded commissioners that to cast a vote they must be on camera. The motion passed.

Later in the agenda the commission considered and voted to remove the July 1, 2026 meeting date from the 2026 schedule. A commissioner moved to remove the date and another commissioner seconded; the commission voted unanimously to remove the July meeting from the schedule.

On a separate item, the commission discussed a proposed one-page monthly update to be requested from ex‑officio partners (city, county and Central Health). Commissioners approved a motion to circulate the ex‑officio one‑pager and to request monthly returns; the motion passed unanimously. The commission directed staff to circulate the template to ex‑officio partners and bring responses to the next meeting.

Why it matters: The calendar change and approval of a routine ex‑officio update aim to make the commission's agenda-setting and oversight more efficient and to provide commissioners a quick, monthly check on how partner organizations are responding to budget and program changes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Public Health Commission","oneSentenceSummary","The commission unanimously approved a one‑page monthly update to be requested from ex‑officio partners and voted to remove the July 1, 2026 meeting from the 2026 schedule. Commissioners also approved the minutes from the prior meeting earlier in the session.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6488490,"Austin Public Health director warns federal grant cuts are causing staff instability and service gaps; requests $9.2M in local support",478,1348775,1826870,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70&start=1348&end=1826","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70/thumbnail_1348775.jpg","/articles/6488490/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-Public-Health-director-warns-federal-grant-cuts-are-causing-staff-instability-and-service-gaps-requests-92M-in-local-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488490-b2a63058706c0b89a28a74822ba85f49/orig.mp4?Expires=1770487125&Signature=c0eN~U1~Bk1IGm4-rz6cIdATv2tB8DtTGy31cECC3QHt0~nfIamHe2sl7AVLrkBW3yrCLRQNZOzR7PwtMvY2uq~fy91VYCsxWdVvnnnpooz2~GFaSmbncHqbd4BBdxZ316u48mOd2F1TpAjTvsCiXryZrxwC48~-MK1MSbXrJ5xHhx5dXWY23HdgWJnLoWp5M1RjN84B9BY8c4DuFyhWFUG4AearJuyA45~hb-wiPyymXi1fAVWwkIX4p0lcHRtNj-QStUw1NCZgO3Atv0zMBIiiboYJ8a90pFjWtfB9DCvaLBY49tVplN2GhOfDfUpDnUjjXSe2EGxPTqn4iRS6Hg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Director Stirrup, leading Austin Public Health, told the commission that the department has experienced \"stops and starts\" in federal grant funding since May and is operating under persistent instability.

Stirrup said the uncertainty affects services the department considers core and statutorily mandated under the Texas Health and Safety Code: adult immunizations for safety-net populations, technical support for vaccine-for-children providers, disease-intervention and follow-up for communicable diseases (including HIV, STIs and tuberculosis), the refugee clinic, and the public-health emergency response program, including BioWatch and air monitoring.

Stirrup said the department has worked to preserve jobs where possible but that abrupt funding changes have forced last-minute separations and reassignments. \"We've lost x dollars because things are still in flux,\" Stirrup said, adding that stops and starts have required staff reassignments and created gaps in institutional knowledge. She told commissioners the department has identified \"upwards of $9,200,000 in general fund\" or other local revenue, including through a possible tax-rate election, to shore up core services and reduce instability.

Stirrup and staff told commissioners that 47 APH staff had been impacted by grant disruptions to date. She said most impacted employees were placed into other city positions or elsewhere within the department, while four took voluntary separations; nonetheless, the department lost \"capacity and institutional knowledge\" important for field-based services and emergency response.

Commissioners asked whether the department has captured the community-level impacts and whether contingency or emergency-response plans exist for a local shortfall. Stirrup said APH created a story map to \"humanize the impacts\" and plans to update it as grant-level information becomes clearer; she also said written emergency plans exist, but restoring surge capacity will take time and recruitment if funds are not secured.

Stirrup said the department's funding model is staff-heavy for grant-funded positions: about half of APH staff are supported by grants although grants make up approximately 30% of the department's budget, which she said places staffing at disproportionate risk when grants are cut. She told commissioners that in the early spring the city manager identified roughly 300 positions at risk citywide; of those, 287 were APH employees.

On possible local responses, Stirrup and commissioners discussed the tax-rate election (TRE) as a funding vehicle. Stirrup said a TRE is \"our best bet\" to shore up public-health infrastructure given competing citywide budget needs and a projected city deficit. She said APH would work to \"right-size\" operations to match available funding if local revenue is not secured, and that community partners could absorb some services but would not replace the department's mandated roles.

Why it matters: APH leadership described immediate staffing and capacity risks for outbreak control, immunizations, harm-reduction support and emergency response if federal grant funding remains uncertain. The department requested local funding options to stabilize programs while federal appropriations remain in flux.","Director Stirrup told the Public Health Commission that abrupt starts and stops in federal grant funding have put core programs and staff at risk, and that the department has identified about $9.2 million in general-fund needs to stabilize services and maintain outbreak and emergency response capacity.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6488495,"Austin Public Health summarizes Texas Legislature changes that limit local authority on immunizations, food permitting and DEI programs",1167,78985,1246540,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70&start=78&end=1246","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546020-7c6ec74e143f20bb069337ac0f1e0e70/thumbnail_78985.jpg","/articles/6488495/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-Public-Health-summarizes-Texas-Legislature-changes-that-limit-local-authority-on-immunizations-food-permitting-and-DEI-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6488495-0bfc1b190def808753c2508b84f090c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770487125&Signature=AQXsLBX~CXmtefF-dXje0GJHAPW4RLQOt~HMQR1Oj31LQclP~zA6ngE8V-olHnU3rb978YTGkdTfDxiP9PLPpjQD3mjuhnpnI1aZM5XMaTKPSDQl4mT00CUpGHC~HhJBonta22ELLwxWND6UcWUiw7S2RFFIIgYJeizYk2l0CDwWCM5pLL6xjiHU4JPTuusXjErvTUMVYQav9qre-M7XBwSzueX-J8~Ts0y~GOIAtcq9BkwbE~9MzIqhowlGqV5d2Kn7~w22gUqsP6f5uI32zA1Byv770Bg9qKA2eOO3W~uyK0jREStz2R2c11FSts5B-rfqntmhHbkEbbblNYNGVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Juanita Jackson, staff liaison with Austin Public Health, briefed the Public Health Commission on bills from the 89th Texas Legislature and their likely effects on local public-health programs.

Jackson said the department tracked 149 bills assigned to Austin Public Health and noted that roughly two dozen had passed as of June 22. She said the session produced measures affecting immunization records, school admissions, mobile food permitting, drug-testing equipment, diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) programs, and emergency-preparedness authorities.

Jackson told commissioners that immunization-related bills the department tracked include SB 94, which she described as prohibiting schools and childcare facilities from denying admission for individuals who submitted exemption documentation; HB 1586, which she said revises the immunization exemption process and removes security restrictions on affidavit forms; and two identical bills, cited as SB 46 and HB 772, that change the Texas Immunization Registry from an opt-in to an opt-out system. Jackson said those changes, in combination, \"decrease immunization compliance,\" \"increase risk of outbreak,\" and create administrative burdens for local entities responsible for monitoring pending affidavit requests.

On food regulation, Jackson highlighted bills she identified as SB 10108 and HB 2844 (as cited in her briefing), and HB 2156. She said these bills limit local permitting, restrict certification and fee requirements beyond state rules, and transfer regulatory authority for some mobile food vendors to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Jackson warned that the changes could \"create gaps in local enforcement capacity, delaying localized responses to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks,\" and noted a potential loss of local permitting-fee revenue.

Regarding drug-policy and harm-reduction bills, Jackson cited a bill she labeled HB 401496 (as spoken in the briefing) that, she said, would remove barriers to distributing fentanyl testing equipment and exempt such equipment from prosecution under paraphernalia laws. She and staff identified other identical bills she cited as SB 362, SB 540 and HB 253 that amend statute language to decriminalize possession or distribution of drug-testing equipment.

Jackson described several DEI-related measures that passed or advanced, including bills she cited as HB 72770, HB 167 (named \"Ending Institutional Racism Act\" in her briefing), HB 436, HB 1521 and HB 3227. She said measures that passed would limit or prohibit use of public funds for DEI programs, ban DEI offices in many government entities, and restrict the use of race- or gender-related criteria in hiring or contracting. Jackson said these bills \"pose a substantial threat to local public-health agencies' ability to address structural inequalities through evidence-based DEI programs,\" and could undermine outreach and data quality for marginalized populations.

Jackson also reviewed bills related to public-health emergency preparedness. She listed measures tracked by the department — including items she labeled SB 131, SB 132, SB 30131, HB 820, HB 2541, SB 1218, HB 1776, SB 940, HP 3360362 and SB 2101 — and said they varied in goals from disease-surveillance modernization to clarifying the roles of the Texas Department of State Health Services and local authorities during emergencies.

Jackson concluded by inviting questions and offering to share the full slide deck and contact information for follow-up.

Why it matters: Austin Public Health staff told commissioners they interpret the session's package of bills as shifting authority or enforcement capacity to the state in several areas and creating operational and data burdens for local health departments. The department said changes to immunization reporting, local permitting authority, and constraints on targeted outreach could affect routine prevention and outbreak response.","At a July meeting, Austin Public Health staff reviewed dozens of bills from the 89th Texas Legislature that staff say shift authority to the state and could weaken local immunization enforcement, reduce local food permitting, and curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public Health Commission approves monthly ex‑officio updates and removes July 1, 2026 meeting

Austin Public Health director warns federal grant cuts are causing staff instability and service gaps; requests $9.2M in local support

Austin Public Health summarizes Texas Legislature changes that limit local authority on immunizations, food permitting and DEI programs