Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2214 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	By: Schwertner S.B. No. 2214
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to state fiscal matters related to health and human
7	7	services and state agencies administering health and human services
8	8	programs.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1.01. This article applies to any state agency that
11	11	receives an appropriation under Article II of the General
12	12	Appropriations Act and to any program administered by any of those
13	13	agencies.
14	14	SECTION 1.02. Notwithstanding any other statute of this
15	15	state, each state agency to which this article applies is
16	16	authorized to reduce or recover expenditures by:
17	17	(1) consolidating any reports or publications the
18	18	agency is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
19	19	reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
20	20	(2) extending the effective period of any license,
21	21	permit, or registration the agency grants or administers;
22	22	(3) entering into a contract with another governmental
23	23	entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the agency's
24	24	duties;
25	25	(4) adopting additional eligibility requirements
26	26	consistent with federal law for persons who receive benefits under
27	27	any law the agency administers to ensure that those benefits are
28	28	received by the most deserving persons consistent with the purposes
29	29	for which the benefits are provided, including under the following
30	30	laws:
31	31	(A) Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code (child
32	32	health plan program);
33	33	(B) Chapter 31, Human Resources Code (temporary
34	34	assistance for needy families program);
35	35	(C) Chapter 32, Human Resources Code (Medicaid
36	36	program);
37	37	(D) Chapter 33, Human Resources Code
38	38	(supplemental nutrition assistance and other nutritional
39	39	assistance programs); and
40	40	(E) Chapter 533, Government Code (Medicaid
41	41	managed care);
42	42	(5) providing that any communication between the
43	43	agency and another person and any document required to be delivered
44	44	to or by the agency, including any application, notice, billing
45	45	statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
46	46	e-mail or through the Internet;
47	47	(6) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
48	48	any costs the agency incurs in performing its lawful functions; and
49	49	(7) modifying and streamlining processes used in:
50	50	(A) the conduct of eligibility determinations
51	51	for programs listed in Subdivision (4) of this subsection by or
52	52	under the direction of the Health and Human Services Commission;
53	53	(B) the provision of child and adult protective
54	54	services by the Department of Family and Protective Services;
55	55	(C) the provision of services for the aging and
56	56	disabled by the Health and Human Services Commission;
57	57	(D) the provision of services to children and
58	58	other persons with disabilities by the Health and Human Services
59	59	Commission; and
60	60	(E) the provision or administration of other
61	61	services provided or programs operated by the Health and Human
62	62	Services Commission or a health and human services agency, as
63	63	defined by Section 531.001, Government Code.
64	64	ARTICLE 2. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES EMPLOYEES
65	65	SECTION 2.01. An health and human services employee is not
66	66	entitled to an amount from the state for expenses, per diem, travel,
67	67	or salary that exceeds the amount authorized for those purposes by
68	68	the General Appropriations Act.
69	69	SECTION 2.02. An health and human services employee is not
70	70	entitled to an amount from the state for a salary, a salary
71	71	supplement, office expenses or reimbursement of office expenses, or
72	72	travel that exceeds the amount authorized for those purposes by the
73	73	General Appropriations Act.
74	74	ARTICLE 3. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF CHARGES AND
75	75	COST-SAVING MEASURES SPECIFICALLY
76	76	Sec. 265.0042. COLLABORATION WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
77	77	EDUCATION. (a) Subject to the availability of funds, the Health and
78	78	Human Services Commission, on behalf of the department, shall enter
79	79	into agreements with institutions of higher education to conduct
80	80	efficacy reviews of any prevention and early intervention programs
81	81	that have not previously been evaluated for effectiveness through a
82	82	scientific research evaluation process.
83	83	(b) Subject to the availability of funds, the department
84	84	shall collaborate with an institution of higher education to create
85	85	and track indicators of child well-being to determine the
86	86	effectiveness of prevention and early intervention services.
87	87	SECTION 3.03. If before implementing any provision of this
88	88	article a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization
89	89	from a federal agency is necessary for implementation of that
90	90	provision, the agency affected by the provision shall request the
91	91	waiver or authorization and may delay implementing that provision
92	92	until the waiver or authorization is granted.
93	93	Article 4. PILOT PROGRAM PROPOSALS AND RULES
94	94	SECTION 4.01. The commissioner of each state agency to
95	95	which this article applies may propose to the appropriate
96	96	legislative committee pilot programs that could be tested to
97	97	determine if the programs might produce long term fiscal benefits
98	98	to the state. The commissioner may propose rules necessary to
99	99	implement the pilot programs.
100	100	Article 5. EFFECTIVE DATE
101	101	SECTION 5.01. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.