&nbsp; <font style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"><strong>Legislative Session</strong>: 83(R)</font><br/><br/>

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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>Senate Bill 426</b></p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>Senate Author:</b>  Nelson
  et al.</p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>Effective:</b>  See below</p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>House Sponsor:</b>  Zerwas</p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>            <a name=start></a>Effective
September 1, 2013, Senate Bill 426 amends the Government </span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Code to require the
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to create a strategic plan to serve
at-risk pregnant women and families with children under the age of six through
home visiting programs that improve outcomes for parents and families. The bill
establishes the circumstances under which a pregnant woman or family is
considered to be at-risk for purposes of enrollment in a program. The bill sets
out the conditions that determine if a home visiting program classifies as
either an evidence-based program or a promising practice program and requires
HHSC to ensure that at least 75 percent of funds appropriated for home visiting
programs are used in evidence-based programs. The bill requires HHSC to ensure
that a home visiting program achieves favorable outcomes in a minimum number of
specified areas of improvement and to adopt outcome indicators to measure the
effectiveness of a program in achieving desired outcomes. The bill requires
HHSC to prepare and submit an initial report on state-funded home visiting
programs to specified legislative committees and sets out biennial HHSC reporting
requirements, effective January 15, 2015,  regarding state-funded home visiting
programs. </span></p>

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