| 1 | 1 | | 86R13386 KLA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hall S.B. No. 1607 |
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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 on issues regarding service animals. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services |
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| 11 | 11 | | Commission. |
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| 12 | 12 | | (2) "Service animal" means an animal that is specially |
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| 13 | 13 | | trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability or otherwise |
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| 14 | 14 | | assist the person with the activities of daily living. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The commission shall conduct a study on issues regarding |
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| 16 | 16 | | service animals. In conducting the study, the commission may |
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| 17 | 17 | | collaborate with and seek input from other appropriate state |
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| 18 | 18 | | agencies, local governmental entities, and advocacy groups for |
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| 19 | 19 | | persons with disabilities. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) The study must identify: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) the types of animals that can be trained as service |
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| 22 | 22 | | animals and the types of animals that are defined as service animals |
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| 23 | 23 | | under state and federal laws; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) the types of tasks a service animal can perform for |
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| 25 | 25 | | and other assistance the animal can provide to a person with a |
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| 26 | 26 | | disability, each categorized according to disability and type of |
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| 27 | 27 | | animal; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) the unique types of tasks a service animal can |
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| 29 | 29 | | perform for and other assistance the animal can provide to a |
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| 30 | 30 | | veteran; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) existing state laws that address a person who |
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| 32 | 32 | | falsely identifies an animal as a service animal and proposed state |
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| 33 | 33 | | laws and policies designed to prevent that false identification; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (5) methods to prevent the fraudulent sale of an |
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| 35 | 35 | | animal as a service animal or the sale of an animal as a service |
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| 36 | 36 | | animal with a claimed level of or claimed specialized training that |
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| 37 | 37 | | the animal does not have; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (6) methods to prevent other types of fraud concerning |
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| 39 | 39 | | the provision of a service animal to a veteran; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (7) existing service animal training programs that |
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| 41 | 41 | | certify an animal as a service animal; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (8) the best methods for licensing or certifying an |
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| 43 | 43 | | animal as a service animal; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | (9) any other issues relating to the training, |
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| 45 | 45 | | certification, identification, provision, or use of, or tasks |
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| 46 | 46 | | performed or other assistance provided by, a service animal. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (d) Not later than November 1, 2020, the commission shall |
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| 48 | 48 | | submit a written report on the findings of the study to the standing |
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| 49 | 49 | | committees of the senate and house of representatives having |
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| 50 | 50 | | jurisdiction over health and human services. The report must |
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| 51 | 51 | | include recommendations for policy and statutory changes, |
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| 52 | 52 | | including any proposed legislation, that are based on the results |
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| 53 | 53 | | of the study. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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