Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB225 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R570 SCP-D
2	2	By: West S.B. No. 225
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to implementation of an express lane option for
10	10	determining eligibility and enrolling certain individuals in
11	11	Medicaid or the child health plan program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 62.1011, Health and Safety Code, is
14	14	amended to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 62.1011. VERIFICATION OF INCOME. (a) Except as
16	16	provided by Subsection (b) and subject to Subsection (c), the [The]
17	17	commission shall continue employing methods of verifying the
18	18	individual incomes of the individuals considered in the calculation
19	19	of an applicant's household income.
20	20	(b) The commission shall verify income under this section
21	21	unless the applicant reports a household income that exceeds the
22	22	income eligibility level established under Section 62.101(b).
23	23	(c) The commission may verify income using the verification
24	24	process described in Section 62.1012.
25	25	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 62, Health and Safety
26	26	Code, is amended by adding Section 62.1012 to read as follows:
27	27	Sec. 62.1012. EXPRESS LANE OPTION ELIGIBILITY; AUTOMATIC
28	28	ENROLLMENT. (a) In this section:
29	29	(1) "Express lane agency" means a governmental entity
30	30	that:
31	31	(A) determines eligibility for assistance under
32	32	a public assistance program of this state; and
33	33	(B) the executive commissioner designates as
34	34	capable of making determinations of one or more eligibility
35	35	requirements under the child health plan program.
36	36	(2) "Public assistance program" includes:
37	37	(A) the Medicaid program under Chapter 32, Human
38	38	Resources Code;
39	39	(B) the financial assistance program under
40	40	Chapter 31, Human Resources Code;
41	41	(C) the nutritional assistance programs under
42	42	Chapter 33, Human Resources Code, including the supplemental
43	43	nutrition assistance program under that chapter;
44	44	(D) the federal special supplemental nutrition
45	45	program for women, infants, and children authorized by 42 U.S.C.
46	46	Section 1786;
47	47	(E) the federal Head Start program established
48	48	under 42 U.S.C. Section 9831 et seq.; and
49	49	(F) the free or reduced-price lunch program
50	50	established under 42 U.S.C. Section 1751 et seq.
51	51	(b) Notwithstanding any other law and in accordance with
52	52	Sections 1902(e)(13) and 2107(e)(1)(H) of the Social Security Act
53	53	(42 U.S.C. Sections 1396a(e)(13) and 1397gg(e)(1)(H)), the
54	54	commission shall implement an express lane option under which the
55	55	commission may use information obtained by an express lane agency
56	56	to determine a child's eligibility for coverage under the child
57	57	health plan, including a child's eligibility for reenrollment in
58	58	the plan.
59	59	(c) In accordance with Section 1902(e)(13)(D) of the Social
60	60	Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1396a(e)(13)(D)), the commission
61	61	shall automatically enroll in the child health plan program a child
62	62	who is determined to be eligible for the program under this section.
63	63	SECTION 3. Sections 32.026(e) and (g), Human Resources
64	64	Code, are amended to read as follows:
65	65	(e) The executive commissioner shall permit a
66	66	recertification review of the eligibility and need for medical
67	67	assistance of a child under 19 years of age to be conducted by
68	68	telephone or mail instead of through a personal appearance at an
69	69	office, unless the commission determines that the information
70	70	needed to verify eligibility cannot be obtained in that manner or
71	71	may be obtained in the manner specified by Section 32.026102. The
72	72	executive commissioner by rule may develop procedures to determine
73	73	whether there is a need for a recertification review of a child
74	74	described by this subsection to be conducted through a personal
75	75	interview with a commission representative. Procedures developed
76	76	under this subsection shall be based on objective, risk-based
77	77	factors and conditions and shall focus on a targeted group of
78	78	recertification reviews for which there is a high probability that
79	79	eligibility will not be recertified.
80	80	(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the
81	81	commission may use information obtained from a third party to
82	82	verify the assets and resources of a person for purposes of
83	83	determining the person's eligibility and need for medical
84	84	assistance to the extent that verification is applicable under
85	85	federal law. Third-party information includes information
86	86	obtained from:
87	87	(1) a consumer reporting agency, as defined by Section
88	88	20.01, Business & Commerce Code;
89	89	(2) an appraisal district; [or]
90	90	(3) the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles vehicle
91	91	registration record database; or
92	92	(4) an express lane agency described by Section
93	93	32.026102.
94	94	SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 32, Human Resources Code,
95	95	is amended by adding Section 32.026102 to read as follows:
96	96	Sec. 32.026102. EXPRESS LANE OPTION; AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT.
97	97	(a) In this section:
98	98	(1) "Express lane agency" means a governmental entity
99	99	that:
100	100	(A) determines eligibility for assistance under
101	101	a public assistance program of this state; and
102	102	(B) the executive commissioner designates as
103	103	capable of making determinations of one or more eligibility
104	104	requirements under the medical assistance program.
105	105	(2) "Public assistance program" includes:
106	106	(A) the child health plan program under Chapters
107	107	62 and 63, Health and Safety Code;
108	108	(B) the financial assistance program under
109	109	Chapter 31;
110	110	(C) the nutritional assistance programs under
111	111	Chapter 33, including the supplemental nutrition assistance
112	112	program under that chapter;
113	113	(D) the federal special supplemental nutrition
114	114	program for women, infants, and children authorized by 42 U.S.C.
115	115	Section 1786;
116	116	(E) the federal Head Start program established
117	117	under 42 U.S.C. Section 9831 et seq.; and
118	118	(F) the free or reduced-price lunch program
119	119	established under 42 U.S.C. Section 1751 et seq.
120	120	(b) Notwithstanding any other law and in accordance with
121	121	Section 1902(e)(13) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section
122	122	1396a(e)(13)), the commission shall implement an express lane
123	123	option under which the commission may use information obtained by
124	124	an express lane agency to determine an individual's eligibility for
125	125	medical assistance, including the recertification of an
126	126	individual's eligibility for medical assistance benefits.
127	127	(c) In accordance with Section 1902(e)(13)(D) of the Social
128	128	Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1396a(e)(13)(D)), the commission
129	129	shall automatically enroll in the medical assistance program an
130	130	individual who is determined to be eligible for the program under
131	131	this section.
132	132	SECTION 5. If before implementing any provision of this Act
133	133	a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
134	134	federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
135	135	the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
136	136	authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
137	137	waiver or authorization is granted.
138	138	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.