By Hirschi                                      H.B. No. 1378

      75R4343 DLF-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to a donated dental services program for certain

 1-3     individuals.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subtitle C, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Chapter 62 to read as follows:

 1-7                CHAPTER 62.  DONATED DENTAL SERVICES PROGRAM

 1-8           Sec. 62.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:

 1-9                 (1)  "Eligible individual" means an individual who is

1-10     eligible  to receive services through the program.

1-11                 (2)  "Program" means the donated dental services

1-12     program established under this chapter.

1-13                 (3)  "Program administrator" means the person selected

1-14     by the department to administer the program under Section 62.004.

1-15           Sec. 62.002.  DONATED DENTAL SERVICES PROGRAM.  The

1-16     department shall establish a donated dental services program to

1-17     provide free comprehensive dental services to eligible individuals

1-18     through services donated by dentists, dental laboratories, and

1-19     related professionals.

1-20           Sec. 62.003.  PROGRAM CRITERIA; ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.  (a)

1-21     The department, by rule, shall establish:

1-22                 (1)  program criteria, including criteria governing the

1-23     types of services to be provided by the program and the manner in

1-24     which the services are to be delivered; and

 2-1                 (2)  eligibility criteria for individuals receiving

 2-2     dental services from the program.

 2-3           (b)  In determining eligibility criteria under Subsection

 2-4     (a)(2), the department shall give priority to serving disabled and

 2-5     elderly individuals who would not otherwise have adequate access to

 2-6     dental care.

 2-7           Sec. 62.004.  PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR.  The department, through

 2-8     a competitive bidding process, shall select a person to serve as

 2-9     program administrator.  The department is not required to accept

2-10     the lowest bid and may consider the experience of the bidders in

2-11     providing similar services or programs.

2-12           Sec. 62.005.  DUTIES OF PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR.  (a)  The

2-13     department and the program administrator shall enter a contract

2-14     specifying the program administrator's duties.

2-15           (b)  Subject to the supervision of the department, the

2-16     program administrator shall:

2-17                 (1)  establish a network of volunteer dentists

2-18     including dental specialists, volunteer dental laboratories, and

2-19     other  appropriate volunteer professionals to donate dental

2-20     services to eligible individuals;

2-21                 (2)  establish a telephone referral system to refer

2-22     eligible individuals to appropriate volunteers;

2-23                 (3)  purchase and distribute dental supplies for use by

2-24     volunteer dentists and dental laboratories;

2-25                 (4)  solicit, on behalf of the department, gifts and

2-26     grants of money, goods, and services for the purposes of the

2-27     program, including the donation of dental supplies;

 3-1                 (5)  develop and implement a public awareness campaign

 3-2     to educate eligible individuals about the availability of the

 3-3     program;

 3-4                 (6)  provide appropriate administrative and technical

 3-5     support to the program;

 3-6                 (7)  submit an annual report to the department that:

 3-7                       (A)  accounts for all program funds;

 3-8                       (B)  reports the number of individuals served by

 3-9     the program and the number of dentists and dental laboratories

3-10     participating as providers in the program; and

3-11                       (C)  includes any other information required by

3-12     the department; and

3-13                 (8)  perform, as required by the department, any other

3-14     duty relating to the program.

3-15           Sec. 62.006.  GIFTS AND GRANTS.  The department may solicit

3-16     and accept gifts and grants of money, goods, and services for the

3-17     purposes of the program.

3-18           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

3-23     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

3-24     passage, and it is so enacted.