| 1 | 1 | | 86R11141 MEW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hughes S.B. No. 1654 |
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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 studies concerning public school employee and retiree |
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| 8 | 8 | | health coverage. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. SCHOOL EMPLOYEE AND RETIRED EMPLOYEE HEALTH |
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| 11 | 11 | | COVERAGE STUDIES. (a) Each regional education service center |
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| 12 | 12 | | established under Chapter 8, Education Code, shall study the health |
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| 13 | 13 | | coverage provided to: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) the employees of school districts and |
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| 15 | 15 | | open-enrollment charter schools located in the region served by the |
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| 16 | 16 | | regional education service center; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) the retired employees of school districts and |
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| 18 | 18 | | open-enrollment charter schools located in the region served by the |
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| 19 | 19 | | regional education service center. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) Each study must: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) address whether, in lieu of the health coverage |
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| 22 | 22 | | provided by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas under Chapters |
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| 23 | 23 | | 1575 and 1579, Insurance Code, as applicable, it would be feasible |
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| 24 | 24 | | and advisable to provide health coverage in another manner; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) consider the feasibility and advisability of a |
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| 26 | 26 | | variety of options for providing alternative health coverage, |
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| 27 | 27 | | including coverage offered: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) by the regional education service center for |
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| 29 | 29 | | all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools located in |
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| 30 | 30 | | the region; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) jointly by groups of school districts and |
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| 32 | 32 | | open-enrollment charter schools located in the region for each |
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| 33 | 33 | | district and school participating in a group; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (C) by individual school districts and |
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| 35 | 35 | | open-enrollment charter schools in the region for the districts' |
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| 36 | 36 | | and schools' employees or retired employees, as applicable; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (D) in a combination of the options described by |
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| 38 | 38 | | Paragraphs (A)-(C) of this subdivision; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) address whether alternative health coverage could |
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| 40 | 40 | | be provided at a cost savings to school districts and |
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| 41 | 41 | | open-enrollment charter schools, employees or retired employees, |
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| 42 | 42 | | as applicable, and the state; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) separately address issues relating to alternative |
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| 44 | 44 | | health coverage for districts' and schools' employees or retired |
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| 45 | 45 | | employees; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (5) identify possible barriers to implementation of an |
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| 47 | 47 | | alternative health coverage program. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (c) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall study the |
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| 49 | 49 | | transfer of health coverage from the group programs under Chapters |
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| 50 | 50 | | 1575 and 1579, Insurance Code, as applicable, to alternative health |
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| 51 | 51 | | coverage as described by Subsection (b) of this section. In |
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| 52 | 52 | | conducting the study, the retirement system shall address the same |
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| 53 | 53 | | matters as are addressed by each regional education service center. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. REPORTS. Not later than January 31, 2020, each |
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| 55 | 55 | | regional education service center and the Teacher Retirement System |
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| 56 | 56 | | of Texas shall submit a report of the results of the studies |
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| 57 | 57 | | conducted under this Act, together with any recommendations |
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| 58 | 58 | | resulting from the studies, to the governor, the lieutenant |
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| 59 | 59 | | governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the |
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| 60 | 60 | | standing committees of the house and senate with jurisdiction over |
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| 61 | 61 | | insurance and education. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 1, 2021. |
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| 63 | 63 | | SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 64 | 64 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 65 | 65 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 66 | 66 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 67 | 67 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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