H.R. No. 2194
R E S O L U T I O N
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of
Texas, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, That House Rule 13,
Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13,
Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to
resolve the differences on Senate Bill 1742 (physician and health
care provider directories, preauthorization, utilization review,
independent review, and peer review for certain health benefit
plans and workers' compensation coverage) to consider and take
action on the following matter:
House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit the
conference committee to add text on a matter not included in either
the house or senate version of the bill by adding the following new
ARTICLE to the bill:
ARTICLE 4. JOINT INTERIM STUDY
SECTION 4.01. CREATION OF JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE. (a) A
joint interim committee is created to study, review, and report on
the use of prior authorization and utilization review processes by
private health benefit plan issuers in this state, as provided by
Section 4.02 of this article, and propose reforms under that
section related to the transparency of and improving patient
outcomes under the prior authorization and utilization review
processes used by private health benefit plan issuers in this
state.
(b) The joint interim committee shall be composed of four
senators appointed by the lieutenant governor and four members of
the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house
of representatives.
(c) The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
representatives shall each designate a co-chair from among the
joint interim committee members.
(d) The joint interim committee shall convene at the joint
call of the co-chairs.
(e) The joint interim committee has all other powers and
duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
on administration.
SECTION 4.02. INTERIM STUDY REGARDING PRIOR AUTHORIZATION
AND UTILIZATION REVIEW PROCESSES. (a) The joint interim committee
created by Section 4.01 of this article shall study data and other
information available from the Texas Department of Insurance, the
office of public insurance counsel, or other sources the committee
determines relevant to examine and analyze the transparency of and
improving patient outcomes under the prior authorization and
utilization review processes used by private health benefit plan
issuers in this state.
(b) The joint interim committee shall propose reforms based
on the study required under Subsection (a) of this section to
improve the transparency of and patient outcomes under prior
authorization and utilization review processes in this state.
(c) The joint interim committee shall prepare a report of
the findings and proposed reforms.
SECTION 4.03. COMMITTEE FINDINGS AND PROPOSED REFORMS. (a)
Not later than December 1, 2020, the joint interim committee
created under Section 4.01 of this article shall submit to the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
and the governor the report prepared under Section 4.02 of this
article. The joint interim committee shall include in its report
recommendations of specific statutory and regulatory changes that
appear necessary from the committee's study under Section 4.02 of
this article.
(b) Not later than the 60th day after the effective date of
this Act, the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
representatives shall appoint the members of the joint interim
committee in accordance with Section 4.01 of this article.
SECTION 4.04. ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The joint interim
committee created under Section 4.01 of this article is abolished
and this article expires December 15, 2020.
Explanation: The addition is necessary to provide for the
interim study of the use of prior authorization and utilization
review processes by health benefit plan issuers in this state and
the proposal of reforms to improve the transparency of and patient
outcomes under those processes.
J. Johnson of Dallas
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2194 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 103, Nays 42, 1 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House