| 1 | 1 | | 85S12159 JCD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Nevárez H.C.R. No. 32 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Many Americans living with speech and communication |
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| 7 | 7 | | disabilities rely on speech-generating devices to transmit |
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| 8 | 8 | | messages to loved ones and care providers; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, In 2015, the U.S. Congress increased the |
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| 10 | 10 | | accessibility of speech-generating devices by passing the Steve |
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| 11 | 11 | | Gleason Act, which created a temporary exception to a rental cap |
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| 12 | 12 | | placed on durable medical equipment by the Medicare program; before |
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| 13 | 13 | | this legislation was enacted, beneficiaries of SGDs were required |
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| 14 | 14 | | to rent such devices for a 13-month period before ownership, and |
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| 15 | 15 | | Medicare funding ceased if a patient took up residence at a nursing |
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| 16 | 16 | | home, hospice, or hospital during that time; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Under the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017, |
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| 18 | 18 | | Title XVIII of the Social Security Act would be amended to make |
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| 19 | 19 | | permanent the removal of the SGD rental cap; the three-year |
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| 20 | 20 | | exception is currently scheduled to expire in October 2018, which |
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| 21 | 21 | | would severely limit those suffering from such neurodegenerative |
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| 22 | 22 | | diseases as ALS, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis from |
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| 23 | 23 | | maintaining long-term use of technology that affords them the |
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| 24 | 24 | | ability to communicate; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Speech-generating devices have allowed some of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | most vulnerable among us to experience a greater quality of life, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and it is imperative for the federal government to preserve the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Medicare rental cap exception in order to prevent any disruption in |
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| 29 | 29 | | access to such vital resources; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas, |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1st Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the United States |
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| 32 | 32 | | Congress to pass the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017; and, |
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| 33 | 33 | | be it further |
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| 34 | 34 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 35 | 35 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 36 | 36 | | the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 37 | 37 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 38 | 38 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 39 | 39 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 40 | 40 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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