Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2473 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Bucy, Capriglione, Rose, Klick, Lujan, H.B. No. 2473
2	2	et al.
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to improvements to the Texas Information and Referral
8	8	Network.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 531.0312, Government Code, is amended by
11	11	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (f) and (g) to read
12	12	as follows:
13	13	(a) The Texas Information and Referral Network at the
14	14	commission is the program responsible for the development,
15	15	coordination, and implementation of a statewide information and
16	16	referral network that integrates existing community-based
17	17	structures with state and local agencies. The network must:
18	18	(1) include information relating to transportation
19	19	services provided to clients of state and local agencies;
20	20	(2) be capable of assisting with statewide disaster
21	21	response and emergency management, including through the use of
22	22	interstate agreements with out-of-state call centers to ensure
23	23	preparedness and responsiveness;
24	24	(3) include technology capable of communicating with
25	25	clients of state and local agencies using one-way and two-way
26	26	electronic text messaging to:
27	27	(A) enhance client access to information and
28	28	referral services;
29	29	(B) decrease client wait times;
30	30	(C) improve customer service; and
31	31	(D) disseminate information to clients in a
32	32	timely manner; [and]
33	33	(4) include a publicly accessible Internet-based
34	34	system to provide real-time, searchable data about [the location
35	35	and number of] clients of state and local agencies using the system,
36	36	including:
37	37	(A) the number of clients;
38	38	(B) the location of clients;
39	39	(C) [and] the types of requests made by [the]
40	40	clients; and
41	41	(D) aggregated, de-identified demographic
42	42	information regarding the clients and client households served by
43	43	the network, including, if the information is volunteered by the
44	44	clients after the clients have been given an opportunity to provide
45	45	informed and explicit consent:
46	46	(i) the gender, race, and ethnicity of each
47	47	client; and
48	48	(ii) whether the client or a member of the
49	49	client's household is:
50	50	(a) a veteran;
51	51	(b) involved in the criminal justice
52	52	system;
53	53	(c) pregnant; or
54	54	(d) the caregiver to a child who is
55	55	five years of age or younger or a kinship caregiver;
56	56	(5) use a standardized screening tool to identify the
57	57	nonmedical drivers of health for all clients who provide informed
58	58	and explicit consent to be screened using the screening tool;
59	59	(6) provide enhanced navigation services under a level
60	60	of care three (LOC-3) as prescribed by the Department of State
61	61	Health Services' Texas Resilience and Recovery Utilization
62	62	Management Guidelines in order to:
63	63	(A) better address complex client needs; and
64	64	(B) collaborate with community partners;
65	65	(7) be capable of providing closed-loop referrals to
66	66	support clients and track referral outcomes;
67	67	(8) exchange resource data with external partners,
68	68	including vendors, through data sharing agreements for the purposes
69	69	of:
70	70	(A) connecting clients to a requested service;
71	71	(B) addressing nonmedical drivers of health; and
72	72	(C) decreasing redundancies in the health and
73	73	human services system;
74	74	(9) comply with all applicable state and federal laws
75	75	relating to protecting the privacy of each client's health and
76	76	personal information, including the Health Insurance Portability
77	77	and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.);
78	78	(10) be part of a national repository of information
79	79	and referral programs and services that provides the most updated
80	80	information about programs and services available at the local,
81	81	regional, state, and national levels; and
82	82	(11) be capable of providing backup information and
83	83	referrals during a statewide disaster or system malfunction.
84	84	(f) Health care systems and managed care organizations may
85	85	partner and enter into agreements with the commission and area
86	86	information centers to share data using the Texas Information and
87	87	Referral Network to:
88	88	(1) facilitate client care coordination; and
89	89	(2) address nonmedical drivers of health, including
90	90	housing, transportation, food, and financial assistance programs.
91	91	(g) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year,
92	92	the commission shall:
93	93	(1) prepare and submit a report to the governor, the
94	94	lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
95	95	representatives that:
96	96	(A) summarizes the Texas Information and
97	97	Referral Network's operations, including the effectiveness of the
98	98	network and any improvements made to the network, during the
99	99	preceding two state fiscal years;
100	100	(B) identifies existing needs and gaps in
101	101	services in communities in this state that could be addressed
102	102	through additional improvements to the network; and
103	103	(C) provides recommendations for improving the
104	104	network, including recommendations for improving data privacy and
105	105	client experience; and
106	106	(2) make the report publicly available on:
107	107	(A) the commission's Internet website; and
108	108	(B) the Texas Information and Referral Network
109	109	Internet site established under Section 531.0313.
110	110	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
111	111	amended by adding Section 531.03121 to read as follows:
112	112	Sec. 531.03121. AREA INFORMATION CENTERS: ACCREDITATION
113	113	REQUIRED. An area information center that contracts with the
114	114	commission to provide Texas Information and Referral Network
115	115	operations must be accredited by a nationally recognized
116	116	accreditation organization.
117	117	SECTION 3. Sections 531.0313(a) and (b), Government Code,
118	118	are amended to read as follows:
119	119	(a) The Texas Information and Referral Network may develop
120	120	an Internet site to provide information to the public regarding the
121	121	health and human services provided by public or private entities
122	122	throughout the state. An Internet site developed under this
123	123	section must be user-friendly and regularly updated to ensure the
124	124	Internet site's interface supports the navigation needs of the
125	125	site's users.
126	126	(b) The material in the Texas Information and Referral
127	127	Network Internet site must be:
128	128	(1) geographically indexed and designed to inform an
129	129	individual about the health and human services provided in the area
130	130	where the individual lives; [. The material must be]
131	131	(2) further indexed by type of service provided within
132	132	each geographic area; and
133	133	(3) organized in such a way that the public can search
134	134	and navigate through the Internet site with ease.
135	135	SECTION 4. If before implementing any provision of this Act
136	136	a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
137	137	federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
138	138	the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
139	139	authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
140	140	waiver or authorization is granted.
141	141	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.