By Coleman                                      H.B. No. 1415

      75R4742 JJT-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the recovery of Medicaid disproportionate share

 1-3     hospital funds.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  (a)  The Texas Department of Mental Health and

 1-6     Mental Retardation and Texas Department of Health jointly shall

 1-7     develop a program and implement practices as necessary to recover

 1-8     from the Medicaid disproportionate share program the maximum

 1-9     possible reimbursement for the costs of mental health and mental

1-10     retardation treatment in community centers.

1-11           (b)  The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental

1-12     Retardation and Texas Department of Health shall begin to claim

1-13     mental health and mental retardation treatment costs from community

1-14     centers in Medicaid disproportionate share program cost reports not

1-15     later than September 1, 1998.

1-16           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-21     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-22     passage, and it is so enacted.