Sec. 260C.002.  IN-PERSON VISITATION WITH RELIGIOUS COUNSELOR. (a) A health care facility may not prohibit a resident or patient of the facility from receiving in-person visitation with a religious counselor during a public health emergency on the request of:
(1)  the patient or resident; or
(2)  if the patient or resident is incapacitated, the patient's or resident's legally authorized representative, including a family member of the patient or resident.
(b)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the executive commissioner by rule shall develop guidelines to assist health care facilities in establishing in-person religious counselor visitation policies and procedures.  The guidelines must:
(1)  establish minimum health and safety requirements for in-person visitation with religious counselors;
(2)  allow health care facilities to adopt reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on in-person visitation with religious counselors to:
(A)  mitigate the spread of a communicable disease; and
(B)  address the patient's or resident's medical condition;
(3)  provide special consideration to patients and residents who are receiving end-of-life care; and
(4)  allow health care facilities to condition in-person visitation with religious counselors on the counselor's compliance with guidelines, policies, and procedures established under this subsection.
(c)  A health care facility may prohibit in-person visitation with a religious counselor during a public health emergency if federal law or a federal agency requires the health care facility to prohibit in-person visitation during that period.
Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 519 (S.B. 572), Sec. 2, eff. June 14, 2021.