| 1 | 1 | | 85R13331 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Walle H.B. No. 3967 |
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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 the establishment of a task force to study the financing |
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| 8 | 8 | | options for early childhood intervention services. |
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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. (a) In this section, "executive commissioner" |
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| 11 | 11 | | means the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services |
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| 12 | 12 | | Commission. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b) The executive commissioner shall establish a task force |
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| 14 | 14 | | to study and make recommendations regarding the feasibility of |
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| 15 | 15 | | requiring: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) private group health benefit plan coverage for |
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| 17 | 17 | | early childhood intervention services, including speech therapy |
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| 18 | 18 | | services, regardless of whether the services are necessitated by an |
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| 19 | 19 | | illness, injury, or cognitive defect; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) private group health benefit plan issuers to |
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| 21 | 21 | | include providers of early childhood intervention services in their |
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| 22 | 22 | | provider networks. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c) Subject to this subsection, the executive commissioner |
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| 24 | 24 | | shall determine the size and composition of the task force. The |
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| 25 | 25 | | executive commissioner shall appoint the members of the task force, |
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| 26 | 26 | | which must include representatives of: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) early childhood intervention services providers; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) advocacy groups that provide policy advocacy for |
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| 29 | 29 | | recipients of early childhood intervention services; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) the Health and Human Services Commission; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) the Texas Department of Insurance; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) private group health benefit plan issuers. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) Not later than December 1, 2018, the task force shall |
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| 34 | 34 | | submit a report to the appropriate standing committees of the |
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| 35 | 35 | | legislature that includes: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) the results of the task force's study; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) recommendations regarding the feasibility of the |
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| 38 | 38 | | requirements described by Subsection (b) of this section; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) legislation necessary to implement the |
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| 40 | 40 | | recommendations made under Subdivision (2) of this subsection. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) This section expires and the task force is abolished |
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| 42 | 42 | | January 1, 2019. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 44 | 44 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 45 | 45 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 46 | 46 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 47 | 47 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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