Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

      Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

      By Burnam                                       H.B. No. 2853

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to restrictions on providing transportation for certain

 1-3     health care purposes.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 161.091, Health and Safety Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:

 1-7           (g)  This section shall not be construed to prohibit

 1-8     providing transportation for health care services to adult patients

 1-9     as a community service if the transportation service is valued at

1-10     not more than $20 per one-way trip, is not provided by a mental

1-11     health provider, and does not involve transportation to a mental

1-12     health facility.

1-13           (h)  For the purpose of Subsection (g), "health care

1-14     services" means:

1-15                 (1)  services routinely provided in a hospital-based

1-16     outpatient clinic; or

1-17                 (2)  health-related community education services.

1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.