85R4490 GRM-F
By: Schaefer H.B. No. 3279
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to eligibility requirements for the specialized
telecommunications assistance program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 56.151(a), Utilities Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The executive commissioner, after consulting with the
department, by rule shall establish a specialized
telecommunications assistance program to provide financial
assistance to individuals diagnosed by a medical professional as a
deaf individual, an individual who has an impairment of hearing, or
an individual who has an impairment of speech [with disabilities
that impair the individuals' ability to effectively access the
telephone network] to assist the individuals with the purchase of
basic specialized equipment or services to provide the individuals
with telephone network access that is functionally equivalent to
that enjoyed by individuals without disabilities of hearing or
speech. The executive commissioner may adopt rules that identify
devices and services eligible for vouchers under the program.
SECTION 2. Section 56.152, Utilities Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 56.152. ELIGIBILITY. The executive commissioner,
after consulting with the department, by rule shall prescribe
eligibility standards for individuals, including deaf individuals
and individuals who have an impairment of hearing or speech, to
receive an assistance voucher under the program. To be eligible, an
individual must:
(1) be a resident of this state;
(2) be diagnosed by a medical professional as a deaf
individual, an individual who has an impairment of hearing, or an
individual who has an impairment of speech; and
(3) have an income at or below 150 percent of the
federal poverty guidelines [with a disability that impairs the
individual's ability to effectively access the telephone network].
SECTION 3. Sections 56.153(d) and (e), Utilities Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(d) An individual who has exchanged a voucher for a
specialized telecommunications device is not eligible to receive
another voucher before the fifth anniversary of the date the
individual exchanged the previously issued voucher unless, before
that date, the recipient develops a need for a different type of
telecommunications device or service under the program because the
recipient's diagnosis has changed to the extent that the device is
no longer adequate to meet the individual's network access needs
[disability changes or the recipient acquires another disability].
(e) Except as provided by rules adopted under this
subsection, an individual is not eligible for a voucher if the
department has issued a voucher for a device or service to another
individual with the same diagnosis [type of disability] in the
individual's household. The executive commissioner, after
consulting with the department, by rule may provide for financially
independent individuals who reside in a congregate setting to be
eligible for a voucher regardless of whether another individual
living in that setting has received a voucher.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.