1-1     By:  King (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini)                H.B. No. 2596

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997;

 1-3     May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health

 1-4     and Human Services; May 14, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 14, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the Texas Information and Referral Network providing

 1-9     information on health and human services.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Sections 531.0312, 531.0313, and 531.0314 to read

1-13     as follows:

1-14           Sec. 531.0312.  TEXAS INFORMATION AND REFERRAL NETWORK.  (a)

1-15     The Texas Information and Referral Network at the commission is the

1-16     program responsible for the development, coordination, and

1-17     implementation of a statewide information and referral network that

1-18     integrates existing community-based structures with state and local

1-19     agencies.

1-20           (b)  A health and human services agency shall provide the

1-21     Texas Information and Referral Network with information about the

1-22     health and human services provided by the agency for inclusion in

1-23     the statewide information and referral network.  The agency shall

1-24     update the information at least quarterly.

1-25           Sec. 531.0313.  ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO HEALTH AND HUMAN

1-26     SERVICES REFERRAL INFORMATION.  (a)  The Texas Information and

1-27     Referral Network may develop an Internet site to provide

1-28     information to the public regarding the health and human services

1-29     provided by public or private entities throughout the state.

1-30           (b)  The material in the Texas Information and Referral

1-31     Network Internet site must be geographically indexed and designed

1-32     to inform an individual about the health and human services

1-33     provided in the area where the individual lives.  The material must

1-34     be further indexed by type of service provided within each

1-35     geographic area.

1-36           (c)  The Internet site may contain links to the Internet

1-37     sites of any local provider of health and human services and may

1-38     contain:

1-39                 (1)  the name, address, and phone number of

1-40     organizations providing health and human services in a county;

1-41                 (2)  a description of the type of services provided by

1-42     those organizations; and

1-43                 (3)  any other information to educate the public about

1-44     the health and human services provided in a county.

1-45           (d)  In this section, "Internet" means the largest

1-46     nonproprietary, nonprofit cooperative public computer network,

1-47     popularly known as the Internet.

1-48           Sec. 531.0314.  INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SYSTEM TASK FORCE.

1-49     (a)  The commission shall establish a task force to implement the

1-50     statewide information and referral system for health and human

1-51     services and to make recommendations to the commission and other

1-52     agencies providing health and human services.

1-53           (b)  The task force shall coordinate the development of state

1-54     and local information and referral network databases.

1-55           (c)  The task force must consist of representatives from the

1-56     state's health and human services agencies, the Texas Alliance of

1-57     Information and Referral Services, the United Way, and public and

1-58     private community-based organizations involved in providing

1-59     information and referral for health and human services.

1-60           SECTION 2.  (a)  The task force established under Section

1-61     531.0314, Government Code, as added by this Act, shall:

1-62                 (1)  evaluate the use of the Internet and other methods

1-63     of providing access to information and referral services;

1-64                 (2)  conduct an inventory of all existing information

 2-1     and referral systems including toll-free telephone numbers and

 2-2     state agencies performing information and referral activities; and

 2-3                 (3)  recommend a strategy for eliminating duplicative

 2-4     toll-free telephone numbers.

 2-5           (b)  The task force shall report its findings and

 2-6     recommendations to the Health and Human Services Commission not

 2-7     later than March 1, 1998, and the commission and other affected

 2-8     agencies shall seek to implement those recommendations, with the

 2-9     assistance of the task force, not later than July 1, 1998.  The

2-10     task force shall make a follow-up report to the 75th Legislature

2-11     not later than December 1, 1998.  That report must include

2-12     recommendations for statutory changes.

2-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-18     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-19     passage, and it is so enacted.

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