CLC S.B. 725 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS HUMAN SERVICES S.B. 725 By: Madla (Puente) 5-6-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Currently, licensed personal care homes constitute a rapidly expanding industry. These homes typically serve the elderly by providing a model of care that assists them in functioning with their disabilities while allowing them to remain within their communities. However, individual municipalities have varied widely in their interpretation of the existing statute regarding what constitutes a community home, and licensed personal care homes are often exempted from that qualification. The ever-growing number of elderly in Texas and ongoing initiatives by the Department of Human Services to utilize licensed personal care homes as a cost-effective alternative to state-funded, long-term care make this issue a concern. This legislation clarifies the qualification of licensed personal care facilities and other community-based residential homes as community homes in an effort to ensure cost-efficient, community-based care for the elderly. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 725 establishes the qualifications of a personal care facility as a community home. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 123.004, Human Resources Code, to require an entity, to qualify as a community home, to be a community-based residential home operated by a community center organized under Chapter 534A, Health and Safety Code, rather than Section 3.01, Article 5547.203, V.T.C.S., that provides services to disabled persons; or a personal care facility licensed under Chapter 247, Health and Safety Code. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.