H.B. No. 340 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to directing the Texas Veterans Commission to determine 1-3 the need for a system of state residential care facilities for 1-4 veterans who are disabled. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is 1-7 amended by adding Section 434.0075 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 434.0075. FINDINGS AND STUDY ABOUT RESIDENTIAL CARE 1-9 FACILITIES. (a) The legislature finds that 43 states have 1-10 established state residential care facilities for veterans who are 1-11 disabled by age, disease, or other causes and who, because of their 1-12 disabilities, are incapable of earning a living. In these states 1-13 the states' cost in providing the care is shared by the federal 1-14 government through per diem payments, construction grants, and 1-15 veteran participant fees. The legislature also finds that this 1-16 state currently has approximately 1.8 million resident veterans, 1-17 among whom over 651,000 are age 60 or older. Many of these 1-18 veterans are needy and will require continuous medical care, 1-19 in-home care, or nursing home care during the last years of their 1-20 lives. It is the intent of the legislature to determine the extent 1-21 to which there exists in this state the need to provide for 1-22 disabled veterans residing in this state care that is similar to 1-23 the care provided by other states. 1-24 (b) The commission shall contract with a qualified 2-1 consulting firm to study the need for and the feasibility of 2-2 establishing a system of residential care facilities for disabled 2-3 veterans under the jurisdiction of the commission or of another 2-4 agency of state government. The commission shall present the 2-5 written findings of the study to the governor and the presiding 2-6 officer of each house of the legislature before December 1, 1997. 2-7 (c) The commission is required to enter into a contract 2-8 under this section only if the legislature appropriates money for 2-9 that purpose. If the legislature does not appropriate money for 2-10 the contract, the commission may use available resources to conduct 2-11 its own study of the issue. 2-12 (d) This section expires June 1, 1999. 2-13 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 2-14 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.