1-1 By: Maxey, Naishtat, Wohlgemuth H.B. No. 663 1-2 (Senate Sponsor - Moncrief) 1-3 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997; 1-4 April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-5 and Human Services; May 7, 1997, reported favorably by the 1-6 following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 7, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-8 AN ACT 1-9 relating to the assessment of needs of individuals served by 1-10 long-term care services programs offered by health and human 1-11 services agencies. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: 1-14 (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services 1-15 Commission. 1-16 (2) "Pilot program" means the pilot program for 1-17 consistent functional needs assessment established under this Act. 1-18 SECTION 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CONSISTENT FUNCTIONAL NEEDS 1-19 ASSESSMENT. (a) Subject to Section 3 of this Act, the commission 1-20 shall develop a functional needs assessment pilot program to 1-21 determine the feasibility of a consistent process to be used by 1-22 long-term care services programs in this state to assess the needs 1-23 of populations served by the programs. The consistent functional 1-24 needs assessment process must be appropriate to the needs of the 1-25 populations served by long-term care services programs in this 1-26 state and must be based on the functional needs of an individual 1-27 for assistance, rather than the origin of the individual's 1-28 disability or the individual's diagnosis or age. 1-29 (b) In developing the consistent functional needs assessment 1-30 process, the commission shall consult with: 1-31 (1) advocacy groups representing individuals served by 1-32 long-term care services programs in this state and the families of 1-33 those individuals; 1-34 (2) providers of services to individuals served by 1-35 long-term care services programs; 1-36 (3) representatives of state agencies that provide 1-37 long-term care services programs or that would otherwise be 1-38 affected by implementation of the consistent functional needs 1-39 assessment process; and 1-40 (4) other appropriate individuals and entities. 1-41 (c) The commission shall conduct the pilot program using a 1-42 test population that is representative of the types of populations 1-43 who are enrolled in or who seek enrollment in long-term care 1-44 services programs in this state. 1-45 SECTION 3. FUNDING. The commission shall solicit and may 1-46 accept gifts and grants of money, property, or services to develop, 1-47 implement, and administer the pilot program and may not conduct the 1-48 pilot program unless it obtains adequate funding from these 1-49 sources. 1-50 SECTION 4. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than 1-51 November 1, 1998, the commission shall report the preliminary 1-52 results of the pilot program to the legislature. 1-53 (b) Not later than November 1, 2000, the commission shall 1-54 report to the legislature on the feasibility of implementation of 1-55 the consistent functional needs assessment process developed under 1-56 this Act. 1-57 SECTION 5. EXPIRATION DATE. This Act expires September 1, 1-58 2001. 1-59 SECTION 6. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation 1-60 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-61 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-62 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-63 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-64 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-1 passage, and it is so enacted. 2-2 * * * * *