| 1 | 1 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 762 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to a study concerning the minimum participation |
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| 7 | 7 | | requirement for small employer health benefit plans. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "department" means the |
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| 10 | 10 | | Texas Department of Insurance. |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 2. STUDY. (a) The department shall conduct a |
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| 12 | 12 | | study concerning the minimum participation requirement for small |
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| 13 | 13 | | employer health benefit plans under Section 1501.154, Insurance |
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| 14 | 14 | | Code. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The study must include: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of a minimum |
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| 17 | 17 | | collective employee participation level of 60 percent; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) a comparison of the effectiveness of the current |
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| 19 | 19 | | minimum collective employee participation level of 75 percent to a |
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| 20 | 20 | | minimum collective employee participation level of between 60 and |
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| 21 | 21 | | 75 percent. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 3. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. The department shall |
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| 23 | 23 | | include a report of the results of the study conducted under this |
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| 24 | 24 | | Act in the biennial report to the 82nd Legislature made under |
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| 25 | 25 | | Section 32.022, Insurance Code. The report must describe the |
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| 26 | 26 | | results of the study conducted under this Act and may contain: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) a recommendation concerning whether the minimum |
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| 28 | 28 | | collective employee participation level should be reduced from 75 |
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| 29 | 29 | | percent to 60 percent; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) the reasons for the recommendation described by |
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| 31 | 31 | | Subdivision (1) of this section. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 33 | 33 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 34 | 34 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 35 | 35 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 36 | 36 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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