BILL ANALYSIS


                                                    C.S.H.B. 2660
                                          By: Hilderbran (Turner)
                                        Health and Human Services
                                                         05-25-95
                            Senate Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND

Area Agencies on Aging provide nutrition, transportation, and
related services to the elderly through contracts with local public
and private providers.  Since creation of the Health and Human
Services Commission and the promulgation of 11 health and human
services regions for the coordination of state agencies' planning
and administrative functions, confusion has arisen regarding how
best to coordinate the planning and administration of local service
delivery activities overseen by Area Agencies on Aging with the
strategic planning and administrative coordination being
implemented among state health and human services departments
across the 11 health and human services regions.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.H.B. 2660 requires the Texas Department of Human
Services to aggregate locally developed plans and data regarding
services to the elderly according to the state's health and human
services regions.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is granted
to the Texas Department of Human Services under SECTION 2 (Section
101.032(a), Human Resources Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE: Older Texans' Regional Coordination Act.

SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 101B, Human Resources Code, by adding
Section 101.032, as follows:

     Sec. 101.032.  AREA AGENCIES ON AGING.  (a) Requires locally
     developed plans and data regarding services to the elderly to
     be aggregated and submitted to the Texas Department of Human
     Services (department) by area agencies on aging according to
     the state's health and human service regions established under
     Article 4413(502), V.T.C.S., and to be incorporated into the
     department's strategic plan.  Authorizes the department, by
     rule, to establish the form in which the data must be
     submitted as well as the process to select which area agency
     on aging in each region submits the aggregated plans and data.
     
     (b) Requires the department, unless otherwise authorized by
       the commissioner of health and human services and approved
       by the legislature or the Legislative Budget Board, to
       decentralize the department's services through area agencies
       on aging designated by the department as of January 1, 1995,
       pursuant to the federal Older Americans Act, and to maintain
       the boundaries of such agencies consistent with the planning
       areas, or subdivisions thereof, established pursuant to
       Chapter 391, Local Government Code.
       
       (c) Makes area agencies on aging within a health and human
       services region jointly responsible for the coordination of
       the department's decentralized services within that region.
       
       SECTION 3.   Emergency clause.
           Effective date: upon passage.