By Thompson                                      H.B. No. 593

      75R3048 SAW-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the personal needs allowance for certain Medicaid

 1-3     recipients who are residents of long-term care facilities.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 32.024, Human Resources Code, is amended

 1-6     by adding Subsection (t) to read as follows:

 1-7           (t)  The department shall set a personal needs allowance of

 1-8     not less than $60 a month for a resident of a convalescent or

 1-9     nursing home or related institution licensed under Chapter 242,

1-10     Health and Safety Code, personal care facility, ICF-MR facility, or

1-11     other similar long-term care facility who receives medical

1-12     assistance.  The department may send the personal needs allowance

1-13     directly to a resident who receives Supplemental Security Income

1-14     (SSI) (42 U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq.).  This subsection does not

1-15     apply to a resident who is participating in a medical assistance

1-16     waiver program administered by the department.

1-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-18     applies only to a personal needs allowance paid on or after that

1-19     date.

1-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.