1-1 By: Counts, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 340 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 1995; 1-3 May 9, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Finance; 1-4 May 16, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11, 1-5 Nays 0; May 16, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to directing the Texas Veterans Commission to determine 1-9 the need for a system of state residential care facilities for 1-10 veterans who are disabled. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Section 434.0075 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 434.0075. FINDINGS AND STUDY ABOUT RESIDENTIAL CARE 1-15 FACILITIES. (a) The legislature finds that 43 states have 1-16 established state residential care facilities for veterans who are 1-17 disabled by age, disease, or other causes and who, because of their 1-18 disabilities, are incapable of earning a living. In these states 1-19 the states' cost in providing the care is shared by the federal 1-20 government through per diem payments, construction grants, and 1-21 veteran participant fees. The legislature also finds that this 1-22 state currently has approximately 1.8 million resident veterans, 1-23 among whom over 651,000 are age 60 or older. Many of these 1-24 veterans are needy and will require continuous medical care, 1-25 in-home care, or nursing home care during the last years of their 1-26 lives. It is the intent of the legislature to determine the extent 1-27 to which there exists in this state the need to provide for 1-28 disabled veterans residing in this state care that is similar to 1-29 the care provided by other states. 1-30 (b) The commission shall contract with a qualified 1-31 consulting firm to study the need for and the feasibility of 1-32 establishing a system of residential care facilities for disabled 1-33 veterans under the jurisdiction of the commission or of another 1-34 agency of state government. The commission shall present the 1-35 written findings of the study to the governor and the presiding 1-36 officer of each house of the legislature before December 1, 1997. 1-37 (c) The commission is required to enter into a contract 1-38 under this section only if the legislature appropriates money for 1-39 that purpose. If the legislature does not appropriate money for 1-40 the contract, the commission may use available resources to conduct 1-41 its own study of the issue. 1-42 (d) This section expires June 1, 1999. 1-43 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 1-44 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-45 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-46 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-47 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-48 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-49 * * * * *