Sec. 1. PERSONS ACCOMPANYING TRANSPORT.
(a) A patient transported from a jail or detention facility to a mental health facility or a residential care facility shall be transported by a special officer for mental health assignment certified under Section 1701.404, Occupations Code, or by a sheriff or constable.
(b) The court ordering the transport shall require appropriate medical personnel to accompany the person transporting the patient, at the expense of the county from which the patient is transported, if there is reasonable cause to believe the patient will require medical assistance or will require the administration of medication during the transportation.
(c) A female patient must be accompanied by a female attendant.
Sec. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORT. The transportation of a patient from a jail or detention facility to a mental health facility or residential care facility must meet the following requirements:
(1) the patient must be transported directly to the facility within a reasonable amount of time and without undue delay;
(2) a vehicle used to transport the patient must be adequately heated in cold weather and adequately ventilated in warm weather;
(3) a special diet or other medical precautions recommended by the patient’s physician must be followed;
(4) the person transporting the patient shall give the patient reasonable opportunities to get food and water and to use a bathroom; and
(5) the patient may not be transported with a state prisoner.
Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1512, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Sec. 1(a) amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, Sec. 14.736, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.