1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the assessment of needs of individuals served by
1-3 long-term care services programs offered by health and human
1-4 services agencies.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act:
1-7 (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
1-8 Commission.
1-9 (2) "Pilot program" means the pilot program for
1-10 consistent functional needs assessment established under this Act.
1-11 SECTION 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CONSISTENT FUNCTIONAL NEEDS
1-12 ASSESSMENT. (a) Subject to Section 3 of this Act, the commission
1-13 shall develop a functional needs assessment pilot program to
1-14 determine the feasibility of a consistent process to be used by
1-15 long-term care services programs in this state to assess the needs
1-16 of populations served by the programs. The consistent functional
1-17 needs assessment process must be appropriate to the needs of the
1-18 populations served by long-term care services programs in this
1-19 state and must be based on the functional needs of an individual
1-20 for assistance, rather than the origin of the individual's
1-21 disability or the individual's diagnosis or age.
1-22 (b) In developing the consistent functional needs assessment
1-23 process, the commission shall consult with:
1-24 (1) advocacy groups representing individuals served by
2-1 long-term care services programs in this state and the families of
2-2 those individuals;
2-3 (2) providers of services to individuals served by
2-4 long-term care services programs;
2-5 (3) representatives of state agencies that provide
2-6 long-term care services programs or that would otherwise be
2-7 affected by implementation of the consistent functional needs
2-8 assessment process; and
2-9 (4) other appropriate individuals and entities.
2-10 (c) The commission shall conduct the pilot program using a
2-11 test population that is representative of the types of populations
2-12 who are enrolled in or who seek enrollment in long-term care
2-13 services programs in this state.
2-14 SECTION 3. FUNDING. The commission shall solicit and may
2-15 accept gifts and grants of money, property, or services to develop,
2-16 implement, and administer the pilot program and may not conduct the
2-17 pilot program unless it obtains adequate funding from these
2-18 sources.
2-19 SECTION 4. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than
2-20 November 1, 1998, the commission shall report the preliminary
2-21 results of the pilot program to the legislature.
2-22 (b) Not later than November 1, 2000, the commission shall
2-23 report to the legislature on the feasibility of implementation of
2-24 the consistent functional needs assessment process developed under
2-25 this Act.
2-26 SECTION 5. EXPIRATION DATE. This Act expires September 1,
2-27 2001.
3-1 SECTION 6. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation
3-2 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-6 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-7 passage, and it is so enacted.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 663 was passed by the House on April
11, 1997, by the following vote: Yeas 132, Nays 0, 2 present, not
voting.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 663 was passed by the Senate on May
15, 1997, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor