By Junell, Naishtat, Maxey, Coleman,                  H.B. No. 2777

         75R11367 CLG-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to eligibility determination and service delivery of

 1-3     health and human services.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Sections 9.12(b) and (d), Chapter 655, Acts of

 1-6     the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, are amended to read as

 1-7     follows:

 1-8           (b)  The integrated eligibility determination and service

 1-9     delivery system shall be developed and implemented to achieve at

1-10     least a one-percent savings in the cost of providing administrative

1-11     and other services and staff resulting from streamlining and

1-12     eliminating duplication of services.  The commission may [shall]

1-13     use the resulting savings to further develop the integrated system

1-14     and to provide other health and human services, as determined by

1-15     the General Appropriations Act.

1-16           (d)  In consultation and coordination with the governor and

1-17     the Legislative Budget Board [State Council on Competitive

1-18     Government], the commission shall make and implement

1-19     recommendations on services or functions of the integrated

1-20     eligibility determination and service delivery system that could be

1-21     provided more effectively through the use of competitive bidding or

1-22     by contracting with local governments and other appropriate

1-23     entities.  If the commission determines that [private] contracting

1-24     may be effective and the commission receives federal approval, the

1-25     commission may automate the determination of client eligibility by

 2-1     contracting with a private firm to design and develop computer

 2-2     hardware and software for and provide technical support related to

 2-3     the integrated eligibility determination system [conduct

 2-4     application processing].

 2-5           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-10     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-11     passage, and it is so enacted.