| 1 | 1 | | 85R10597 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Perez H.B. No. 4179 |
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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 establishing a program to allow school districts to |
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| 8 | 8 | | assist certain children attending public schools in maintaining |
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| 9 | 9 | | their Medicaid and child health plan program eligibility. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 531.02483 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 531.02483. SCHOOL DISTRICT ASSISTANCE IN ENSURING |
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| 14 | 14 | | CONTINUED HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN CHILDREN. (a) In this |
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| 15 | 15 | | section: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Parent" includes a person standing in parental |
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| 17 | 17 | | relation. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "School district" means a public school district |
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| 19 | 19 | | created under the laws of this state. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) The commission shall establish a program under which a |
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| 21 | 21 | | school district may request information from the commission |
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| 22 | 22 | | regarding a child enrolled in the district who is a recipient under |
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| 23 | 23 | | Medicaid or an enrollee in the child health plan program and whose |
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| 24 | 24 | | eligibility for benefits under the applicable program will expire |
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| 25 | 25 | | during the school year so that the school district may alert the |
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| 26 | 26 | | child's parent of the need to timely reapply for continuation of the |
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| 27 | 27 | | benefits. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) To facilitate the program described by Subsection (b), |
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| 29 | 29 | | as part of a child's enrollment in school each school year, a school |
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| 30 | 30 | | district may request that a child's parent, on a voluntary basis, |
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| 31 | 31 | | indicate on the enrollment form whether the child is covered by |
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| 32 | 32 | | Medicaid or the child health plan program. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) A parent is not required to provide the information |
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| 34 | 34 | | described by Subsection (c) as a condition of enrollment, and the |
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| 35 | 35 | | enrollment form must clearly indicate that a parent may elect to |
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| 36 | 36 | | provide or withhold the information. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (e) The commission may develop a procedure under which a |
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| 38 | 38 | | school district may apply to participate in the program. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (f) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules to |
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| 40 | 40 | | implement the program established under this section, including |
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| 41 | 41 | | rules that ensure the confidentiality and appropriate use of |
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| 42 | 42 | | recipient or enrollee information shared with a school district. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act |
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| 44 | 44 | | a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a |
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| 45 | 45 | | federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, |
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| 46 | 46 | | the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or |
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| 47 | 47 | | authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the |
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| 48 | 48 | | waiver or authorization is granted. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 50 | 50 | | of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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| 51 | 51 | | Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement |
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| 52 | 52 | | the changes in law made by this Act. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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