Relating to human trafficking prevention, including training for medical assistants, disclosure of human trafficking information by certain health care facilities, and protection for facility employees who report human trafficking.

Contracts

• Staffing Agency MSAs: Amend Master Service Agreements with temporary staffing agencies immediately. Require the agency to warrant that all supplied Medical Assistants have completed HHSC-approved human trafficking prevention training prior to placement.
• Employment Agreements: Update termination clauses to explicitly reference the "safe harbor" for good-faith reporting of human trafficking to mitigate wrongful termination claims.

Hiring/Training

• Medical Assistant Credentialing: Implement a "hard stop" in the hiring process. No Medical Assistant may be cleared for duty without verification of the specific HHSC-approved training.
• Language Audit: Conduct a demographic survey of your facility's workforce immediately. If 10% or more of your staff speak a primary language other than English or Spanish, you are legally required to post the trafficking signage in that third language.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Signage Logs: Once the OAG releases the sign, photograph its placement in high-traffic employee areas (break rooms, nurse stations) to prove it is "easily visible."
• Personnel Files: Maintain a copy of the training certificate in every Medical Assistant’s file. Do not rely on a simple checklist; the certificate is your audit defense.
• Incident Reporting: Create a specific category for "Trafficking Suspicion" in your internal reporting software to document that the facility handled employee reports properly.

Fees & Costs

• Training Costs: Minimal. The law requires HHSC to approve at least one training course that is free of charge.
• Administrative Costs: Moderate. Budget for HR hours required to audit current staff files and monitor OAG/HHSC websites for required templates.