Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4023 Compare Versions

The same version is selected twice. Please select two different versions to compare.

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R7573 KFF-D
2	2	By: Villarreal H.B. No. 4023
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a study and report on the feasibility of providing
8	8	services and benefits under federally funded public benefit
9	9	programs to encourage fathers' involvement beginning during
10	10	pregnancy.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act:
13	13	(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
14	14	Commission.
15	15	(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
16	16	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
17	17	(3) "Federally funded public benefit program" means a
18	18	federally funded assistance program administered by the commission
19	19	or a health and human services agency, including:
20	20	(A) the child health plan program under Chapter
21	21	62, Health and Safety Code;
22	22	(B) the medical assistance program under Chapter
23	23	32, Human Resources Code;
24	24	(C) programs operated by the Texas Primary Care
25	25	Office at the Department of State Health Services;
26	26	(D) the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition
27	27	Program for Women, Infants and Children; and
28	28	(E) programs funded under the Maternal and Child
29	29	Health Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. Section 701 et seq.), as
30	30	amended.
31	31	(4) "Health and human services agencies" has the
32	32	meaning assigned by Section 531.001, Government Code.
33	33	SECTION 2. STUDY. (a) The commission shall conduct a study
34	34	to evaluate the feasibility of providing benefits or services under
35	35	federally funded public benefit programs to encourage the
36	36	involvement of prospective fathers of the unborn children of
37	37	pregnant women receiving health care services under those programs,
38	38	including the feasibility of providing simple health screening
39	39	services to those fathers that are similar to the health screening
40	40	services provided to the prospective mothers, to the extent those
41	41	services are appropriate.
42	42	(b) In conducting the study under Subsection (a) of this
43	43	section, the commission shall:
44	44	(1) evaluate and identify funding sources available
45	45	under federally funded public benefit programs to provide the
46	46	benefits and services to prospective fathers as described by
47	47	Subsection (a) of this section, including the possibility of
48	48	obtaining a federal waiver or other authorization under a federally
49	49	funded public benefit program to provide those services and
50	50	benefits; and
51	51	(2) consider the ability of health care providers
52	52	participating in federally funded public benefit programs to
53	53	provide the benefits and services described by Subsection (a) of
54	54	this section.
55	55	SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than September 1, 2010, the
56	56	commission shall submit to the legislature a written report
57	57	containing the findings of the study conducted under this Act and
58	58	the commission's recommendations.
59	59	SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
60	60	immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
61	61	elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
62	62	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
63	63	immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.