81R9224 YDB-D
By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 2260
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the licensing and regulation of post-acute care
traumatic brain injury rehabilitation facilities; providing
penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 257 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 257. POST-ACUTE CARE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
REHABILITATION FACILITIES
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 257.001. SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be cited as the
Post-Acute Care Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Facility
Licensing Act.
Sec. 257.002. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of state
health services.
(2) "Department" means the Department of State Health
Services.
(3) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
(4) "Facility" means an institution or establishment
that provides a continuum of nursing or medical care or
rehabilitation services primarily to persons who have suffered a
traumatic brain injury.
(5) "Medical care" means care that is:
(A) required for improving life span and quality
of life, for comfort, for prevention and treatment of illness, and
for maintenance of bodily and mental function;
(B) under the continued supervision of a
physician; and
(C) provided by a registered nurse or licensed
vocational nurse available to carry out a physician's plan of care
for a patient.
(6) "Nursing care" means services provided by nursing
personnel as prescribed by a physician, including services to:
(A) promote and maintain health;
(B) prevent illness and disability;
(C) manage health care during acute and chronic
phases of illness;
(D) provide guidance and counseling of
individuals and families; and
(E) provide referrals to physicians, other
health care providers, and community resources when appropriate.
(7) "Patient" means an individual accepted for
inpatient or outpatient care in a post-acute care traumatic brain
injury rehabilitation facility.
(8) "Services" means the provision of medical or
nursing care, assistance, or treatment by facility personnel,
volunteers, or other qualified individuals, agencies, or staff of
an organization or other entity to meet a patient's medical,
nursing, social, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Sec. 257.003. EXEMPTIONS. This chapter does not apply to:
(1) a home and community support services agency
required to be licensed under Chapter 142;
(2) a person required to be licensed under Chapter
241;
(3) an institution required to be licensed under
Chapter 242;
(4) an ambulatory surgical center required to be
licensed under Chapter 243;
(5) a birthing center required to be licensed under
Chapter 244;
(6) a facility required to be licensed under Chapter
245 or Chapter 247;
(7) a child-care institution, foster group home,
foster family home, or child-placing agency, for children in foster
care or other patiential care who are under the conservatorship of
the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services; or
(8) a person providing medical or nursing care or
services under a license or permit issued under other state law.
[Sections 257.004-257.050 reserved for expansion]
SUBCHAPTER B. LICENSING, FEES, AND INSPECTIONS
Sec. 257.051. LICENSE REQUIRED; QUALIFICATIONS. (a) A
person may not establish or operate a post-acute care traumatic
brain injury rehabilitation facility unless the person holds a
license issued under this chapter.
(b) To protect the public health and safety, the executive
commissioner shall establish qualifications for holding a license
under this chapter. The qualifications must require the facility
to hold an accreditation for post-acute providers from the
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities or
another nationally recognized accreditation organization approved
by the executive commissioner.
Sec. 257.052. APPLICATION. (a) An applicant for a license
must submit an application to the department on a form prescribed by
the department and in accordance with executive commissioner rules.
(b) Each application must be accompanied by a nonrefundable
license fee in an amount set by the executive commissioner.
(c) The department may require that an application be
approved by the local health authority or other local official for
compliance with municipal ordinances on building construction,
fire prevention, and sanitation.
Sec. 257.053. ISSUANCE AND RENEWAL OF LICENSE. (a) The
department shall issue a license to an applicant if on inspection
and investigation it finds that the applicant meets the
requirements of this chapter and the rules adopted by the executive
commissioner.
(b) A license shall be renewed at the times and in
accordance with the rules established by the executive
commissioner.
Sec. 257.054. FEES. (a) The executive commissioner shall
establish a license application fee in the amount reasonable and
necessary to cover the cost of administering this chapter.
(b) The executive commissioner may establish other
reasonable and necessary fees in amounts that are adequate, with
the license application and license renewal fees, to collect
sufficient revenue to meet the expenses necessary to administer
this chapter. The fees may include construction plan review and
inspection fees.
(c) All fees collected under this chapter are
nonrefundable.
(d) All fees received by the department shall be deposited
to the credit of the general revenue fund and may be appropriated
only to the department to administer this chapter.
Sec. 257.055. NONTRANSFERABILITY; POSTING. (a) A license
issued under this chapter is not transferable or assignable.
(b) A facility shall post in plain sight the license issued
under this chapter.
Sec. 257.056. DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONER. (a) The
executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to implement
this chapter. The rules must establish minimum standards for
facilities relating to:
(1) the issuance, renewal, denial, suspension, and
revocation of the license required by this chapter;
(2) the qualifications, duties, and supervision of
professional and nonprofessional personnel and volunteers, which
must require a manager of a facility to be a certified brain injury
specialist;
(3) staff-to-patient ratios, which must require one
staff person for every six patients during the day and one staff
person for every eight patients overnight;
(4) medical and nursing care and services provided by
a license holder, which must require that at least 20 hours of
therapy a week be made available for each patient;
(5) the organizational structure, lines of authority,
delegation of responsibility, and operation of a facility;
(6) records of care and services kept by the license
holder, including the disposal or destruction of those records;
(7) safety, fire prevention, and sanitation
provisions;
(8) transfer of patients in a medically appropriate
manner from or to a facility;
(9) construction plan approval and inspection;
(10) training for employees who do not hold a license
as a health care practitioner and who will be delivering care to
patients, which must include at least 16 hours of orientation
training and 24 hours of observation training;
(11) annual continuing education of at least 12 hours
for employees;
(12) treatment of minors; and
(13) any aspects of a facility as necessary to protect
the public health and safety or patients of the facility.
(b) Subsection (a) does not authorize the executive
commissioner to establish the qualifications of licensed health
care providers or permit the executive commissioner to authorize
persons to provide health care services who are not authorized to
provide those services under other state law.
Sec. 257.057. CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS. (a) If there are no
local regulations in effect or enforced in the area in which a
facility is located, the facility's construction must conform to
the minimum standards established by the executive commissioner.
(b) Construction of a facility is subject to construction
plan approval by the department.
Sec. 257.058. INSPECTIONS; INVESTIGATIONS. (a) The
department may inspect a facility and its records at reasonable
times as necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter.
(b) The department shall investigate each complaint
received regarding a facility.
[Sections 257.059-257.100 reserved for expansion]
SUBCHAPTER C. GENERAL ENFORCEMENT
Sec. 257.101. LICENSE DENIAL, SUSPENSION, PROBATION, OR
REVOCATION. (a) The department may deny, revoke, or suspend a
license issued under this chapter for a violation of this chapter or
the rules adopted under this chapter.
(b) Except as provided by Section 257.102, the procedures by
which the department denies, revokes, or suspends a license and by
which those actions are appealed are governed by the department's
rules for a contested case hearing and by Chapter 2001, Government
Code.
(c) If the department finds that a facility is in repeated
noncompliance with this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter
but that the noncompliance does not endanger the public health and
safety, the department may schedule the facility for probation
rather than suspending or revoking the facility's license. The
department shall provide notice to the facility of the probation
and of the items of noncompliance not later than the 10th day before
the date the probation period begins. The department shall
designate a period of not less than 30 days during which the
facility will remain under probation. During the probation period,
the facility must correct the items that were in noncompliance and
report the corrections to the department for approval.
(d) The department may suspend or revoke the license of a
facility that does not correct items that were in noncompliance or
that does not comply with this chapter or the rules adopted under
this chapter within the applicable probation period.
Sec. 257.102. EMERGENCY SUSPENSION. (a) The department
may issue an emergency order to suspend any license issued under
this chapter if the department has reasonable cause to believe that
the conduct of a license holder creates an immediate danger to the
public health and safety.
(b) An emergency suspension is effective immediately
without a hearing on notice to the license holder.
(c) On written request of the license holder, the department
shall conduct a hearing not earlier than the 10th day or later than
the 30th day after the date the hearing request is received to
determine if the emergency suspension is to be continued, modified,
or rescinded.
(d) The hearing and any appeal are governed by department
rules for a contested case hearing and by Chapter 2001, Government
Code.
Sec. 257.103. INJUNCTION. (a) The department may request
that the attorney general petition a district court to restrain a
license holder or other person from continuing to violate this
chapter or any rule adopted by the executive commissioner under
this chapter. Venue for a suit for injunctive relief is in Travis
County.
(b) On application for injunctive relief and a finding that
a license holder or other person has violated this chapter or
executive commissioner rules, the district court shall grant the
injunctive relief that the facts warrant.
Sec. 257.104. CIVIL PENALTY. A license holder or person who
violates this chapter or a rule adopted by the executive
commissioner under this chapter is liable for a civil penalty, to be
imposed by a district court, of not more than $1,000 for each day of
violation. All penalties collected under this section shall be
deposited to the credit of the general revenue fund.
Sec. 257.105. CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) A person who knowingly
establishes or operates a facility without a license issued under
this chapter commits an offense.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
(c) Each day of a continuing violation constitutes a
separate offense.
[Sections 257.106-257.150 reserved for expansion]
SUBCHAPTER D. ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY
Sec. 257.151. IMPOSITION OF PENALTY. (a) The commissioner
may impose an administrative penalty on a person licensed under
this chapter who violates this chapter or a rule or order adopted
under this chapter.
(b) A penalty collected under this subchapter shall be
deposited in the state treasury in the general revenue fund.
Sec. 257.152. AMOUNT OF PENALTY. (a) The amount of the
penalty may not exceed $1,000 for each violation, and each day a
violation continues or occurs is a separate violation for purposes
of imposing a penalty. The total amount of the penalty assessed for
a violation continuing or occurring on separate days under this
subsection may not exceed $5,000.
(b) The amount shall be based on:
(1) the seriousness of the violation, including the
nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the violation;
(2) the threat to health or safety caused by the
violation;
(3) the history of previous violations;
(4) the amount necessary to deter a future violation;
(5) whether the violator demonstrated good faith,
including when applicable whether the violator made good faith
efforts to correct the violation; and
(6) any other matter that justice may require.
Sec. 257.153. REPORT AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND PENALTY.
(a) If the department initially determines that a violation
occurred, the department shall give written notice of the report by
certified mail to the person.
(b) The notice must:
(1) include a brief summary of the alleged violation;
(2) state the amount of the recommended penalty; and
(3) inform the person of the person's right to a
hearing on the occurrence of the violation, the amount of the
penalty, or both.
Sec. 257.154. PENALTY TO BE PAID OR HEARING REQUESTED. (a)
Not later than the 20th day after the date the person receives the
notice sent under Section 257.153, the person in writing may:
(1) accept the determination and recommended penalty
of the department; or
(2) make a request for a hearing on the occurrence of
the violation, the amount of the penalty, or both.
(b) If the person accepts the determination and recommended
penalty or if the person fails to respond to the notice, the
commissioner by order shall approve the determination and impose
the recommended penalty.
Sec. 257.155. HEARING. (a) If the person requests a
hearing, the commissioner shall refer the matter to the State
Office of Administrative Hearings, which shall promptly set a
hearing date and give written notice of the time and place of the
hearing to the person. An administrative law judge of the State
Office of Administrative Hearings shall conduct the hearing.
(b) The administrative law judge shall make findings of fact
and conclusions of law and promptly issue to the commissioner a
proposal for a decision about the occurrence of the violation and
the amount of a proposed penalty.
Sec. 257.156. DECISION BY COMMISSIONER. (a) Based on the
findings of fact, conclusions of law, and proposal for a decision,
the commissioner by order may:
(1) find that a violation occurred and impose a
penalty; or
(2) find that a violation did not occur.
(b) The notice of the commissioner's order under Subsection
(a) that is sent to the person in accordance with Chapter 2001,
Government Code, must include a statement of the right of the person
to judicial review of the order.
Sec. 257.157. OPTIONS FOLLOWING DECISION: PAY OR APPEAL.
Not later than the 30th day after the date the order of the
commissioner under Section 257.156 that imposes an administrative
penalty becomes final, the person shall:
(1) pay the penalty; or
(2) file a petition for judicial review of the
commissioner's order contesting the occurrence of the violation,
the amount of the penalty, or both.
Sec. 257.158. STAY OF ENFORCEMENT OF PENALTY. (a) Within
the 30-day period prescribed by Section 257.157, a person who files
a petition for judicial review may:
(1) stay enforcement of the penalty by:
(A) paying the penalty to the court for placement
in an escrow account; or
(B) giving the court a supersedeas bond approved
by the court that:
(i) is for the amount of the penalty; and
(ii) is effective until all judicial review
of the commissioner's order is final; or
(2) request the court to stay enforcement of the
penalty by:
(A) filing with the court a sworn affidavit of
the person stating that the person is financially unable to pay the
penalty and is financially unable to give the supersedeas bond; and
(B) sending a copy of the affidavit to the
commissioner by certified mail.
(b) If the commissioner receives a copy of an affidavit
under Subsection (a)(2), the commissioner may file with the court,
within five days after the date the copy is received, a contest to
the affidavit. The court shall hold a hearing on the facts alleged
in the affidavit as soon as practicable and shall stay the
enforcement of the penalty on finding that the alleged facts are
true. The person who files an affidavit has the burden of proving
that the person is financially unable to pay the penalty or to give
a supersedeas bond.
Sec. 257.159. COLLECTION OF PENALTY. (a) If the person
does not pay the penalty and the enforcement of the penalty is not
stayed, the penalty may be collected.
(b) The attorney general may sue to collect the penalty.
Sec. 257.160. DECISION BY COURT. (a) If the court sustains
the finding that a violation occurred, the court may uphold or
reduce the amount of the penalty and order the person to pay the
full or reduced amount of the penalty.
(b) If the court does not sustain the finding that a
violation occurred, the court shall order that a penalty is not
owed.
Sec. 257.161. REMITTANCE OF PENALTY AND INTEREST. (a) If
the person paid the penalty and if the amount of the penalty is
reduced or the penalty is not upheld by the court, the court shall
order, when the court's judgment becomes final, that the
appropriate amount plus accrued interest be remitted to the person
not later than the 30th day after the date that the judgment of the
court becomes final.
(b) The interest accrues at the rate charged on loans to
depository institutions by the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
(c) The interest shall be paid for the period beginning on
the date the penalty is paid and ending on the date the penalty is
remitted.
Sec. 257.162. RELEASE OF BOND. (a) If the person gave a
supersedeas bond and the penalty is not upheld by the court, the
court shall order, when the court's judgment becomes final, the
release of the bond.
(b) If the person gave a supersedeas bond and the amount of
the penalty is reduced, the court shall order the release of the
bond after the person pays the reduced amount.
Sec. 257.163. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE. A proceeding to
impose the penalty is considered to be a contested case under
Chapter 2001, Government Code.
SECTION 2. (a) Not later than March 1, 2010, the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall
adopt the rules and standards required by Chapter 257, Health and
Safety Code, as added by this Act.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 257.051, Health and Safety
Code, as added by this Act, a post-acute care traumatic brain injury
rehabilitation facility is not required to hold a license under
Chapter 257 until May 1, 2010.
SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
(b) Subchapters C and D, Chapter 257, Health and Safety
Code, as added by this Act, take effect May 1, 2010.