| 1 | 1 | | 84R2185 LED-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Lucio III H.B. No. 1063 |
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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 state assistance to certain counties for indigent |
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| 8 | 8 | | burial costs. |
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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. Chapter 694, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | by adding Section 694.004 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 694.004. STATE ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN ELIGIBLE |
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| 13 | 13 | | COUNTIES. (a) In this section, "department" means the Department |
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| 14 | 14 | | of State Health Services. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) This section applies only to a county that is adjacent |
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| 16 | 16 | | to the Gulf of Mexico and an international border. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (c) The department may distribute funds as provided by this |
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| 18 | 18 | | section to an eligible county to assist the county in providing for |
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| 19 | 19 | | the disposition of the body of a deceased pauper under this chapter. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (d) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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| 21 | 21 | | Services Commission shall adopt rules governing the application |
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| 22 | 22 | | procedures and the eligibility requirements for assistance under |
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| 23 | 23 | | this section. The procedures must provide that the department |
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| 24 | 24 | | shall make a determination with respect to an application for |
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| 25 | 25 | | assistance not later than the 90th day after the date the |
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| 26 | 26 | | application is submitted to the department in accordance with the |
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| 27 | 27 | | procedures established by the department. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (e) The department shall provide assistance to a county that |
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| 29 | 29 | | applies for assistance if the department determines that the county |
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| 30 | 30 | | meets the department's eligibility requirements adopted under this |
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| 31 | 31 | | section. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. (a) Not later than December 1, 2015, the |
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| 33 | 33 | | executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission |
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| 34 | 34 | | shall adopt the rules necessary to implement Section 694.004, |
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| 35 | 35 | | Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) Section 694.004, Health and Safety Code, as added by |
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| 37 | 37 | | this Act, applies only to an application for assistance submitted |
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| 38 | 38 | | by a county for approval on or after January 1, 2016. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 40 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 41 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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