| 1 | 1 | | 81R1879 KLA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Naishtat, Herrero H.B. No. 614 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to administrative and judicial review of certain decisions |
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| 8 | 8 | | about financial assistance benefits. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Sections 531.019(a) and (e), Government Code, as |
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| 11 | 11 | | added by Chapter 1161 (H.B. 75), Acts of the 80th Legislature, |
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| 12 | 12 | | Regular Session, 2007, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In this section, "public assistance benefits" means |
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| 14 | 14 | | benefits provided under a public assistance program under Chapter |
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| 15 | 15 | | 31, 32, or 33, Human Resources Code. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (e) For purposes of Section 2001.171, an applicant for or |
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| 17 | 17 | | recipient of public assistance benefits has exhausted all available |
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| 18 | 18 | | administrative remedies and a decision, including a decision under |
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| 19 | 19 | | Section 31.034 or 32.035, Human Resources Code, is final and |
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| 20 | 20 | | appealable on the date that, after a hearing: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) the hearing officer for the commission or a health |
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| 22 | 22 | | and human services agency reaches a final decision related to the |
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| 23 | 23 | | benefits; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) the appropriate attorney completes an |
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| 25 | 25 | | administrative review of the decision and notifies the applicant or |
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| 26 | 26 | | recipient in writing of the results of that review. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 28 | 28 | | an appeal of a final decision by the Health and Human Services |
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| 29 | 29 | | Commission related to financial assistance benefits under Chapter |
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| 30 | 30 | | 31, Human Resources Code, that is rendered on or after the effective |
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| 31 | 31 | | date of this Act. A final decision rendered by the commission |
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| 32 | 32 | | before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in |
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| 33 | 33 | | effect on the date the decision was rendered, and the former law is |
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| 34 | 34 | | continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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