| 1 | 1 | | 85R4478 GCB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Wu H.B. No. 709 |
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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 a study conducted by Texas A&M University on services |
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| 8 | 8 | | for children and families available in rural counties for children |
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| 9 | 9 | | in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and |
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| 10 | 10 | | Protective Services. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services |
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| 14 | 14 | | Commission. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Department" means the Department of Family and |
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| 16 | 16 | | Protective Services. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (3) "Rural county" means a county with a population of |
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| 18 | 18 | | less than 50,000. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (4) "Services for children and families" includes |
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| 20 | 20 | | mental health services, medical services, specialized medical |
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| 21 | 21 | | services, and child protective services. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System |
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| 23 | 23 | | shall designate a department or entity at Texas A&M University to |
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| 24 | 24 | | conduct a study on services for children and families available to |
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| 25 | 25 | | be provided in rural counties to children in the managing |
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| 26 | 26 | | conservatorship of the department and to the parents of those |
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| 27 | 27 | | children. The study must: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) determine what types of services for children and |
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| 29 | 29 | | families are available to the children and parents in rural |
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| 30 | 30 | | counties; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) determine the number of clinics, physicians, and |
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| 32 | 32 | | other service providers that are available to provide services for |
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| 33 | 33 | | children and families to children and parents in rural counties; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) determine the number of clinics, offices of |
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| 35 | 35 | | physicians, and other providers of services for children and |
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| 36 | 36 | | families in rural counties that have closed in the preceding five |
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| 37 | 37 | | years; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) propose actions the commission and department can |
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| 39 | 39 | | take to address any shortage in the provision of services for |
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| 40 | 40 | | children and families to children and parents in rural counties, |
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| 41 | 41 | | including: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (A) the provision of services through |
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| 43 | 43 | | telemedicine medical services and telehealth services in rural |
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| 44 | 44 | | counties; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) partnerships between the commission or |
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| 46 | 46 | | department and institutions of higher education to provide services |
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| 47 | 47 | | in rural counties; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | (C) incentives offered by the commission or |
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| 49 | 49 | | department to service providers for providing services in rural |
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| 50 | 50 | | counties; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (5) make recommendations to the legislature for |
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| 52 | 52 | | increasing the quality and quantity of services provided to the |
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| 53 | 53 | | children and parents in rural counties. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (c) The department or entity at Texas A&M University |
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| 55 | 55 | | designated by the board of regents to conduct the study shall |
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| 56 | 56 | | provide the study results and recommendations to the governor, |
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| 57 | 57 | | lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and |
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| 58 | 58 | | each member of the legislature not later than December 1, 2018. |
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| 59 | 59 | | (d) This section expires September 1, 2019. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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