By:  Moncrief                                 S.B. No. 413

         97S0241/1                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the administration of the Health and Human Services

 1-2     Commission and the administration and funding of the state Medicaid

 1-3     program.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 531.012, Government Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 531.012.  ADVISORY COMMITTEES.  The commissioner shall

 1-8     utilize the medical and hospital care advisory committees

 1-9     authorized by Section 32.022, Human Resources Code, to assist the

1-10     commission with the development of Medicaid policies, procedures,

1-11     eligibility standards and benefits, provider payments, and

1-12     educational programs for Medicaid recipients and providers.  The

1-13     commissioner may appoint other advisory committees as needed.

1-14           SECTION 2.  Section 531.034, Government Code, is amended by

1-15     adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

1-16           (d)  In the development of commission rules, the commission

1-17     may utilize negotiated rulemaking procedures and may retain private

1-18     facilitators or neutral state-employed facilitators trained in

1-19     negotiated rulemaking and mediation to assist the commission with

1-20     the negotiated rulemaking.

1-21           SECTION 3.  Section 32.028, Human Resources Code, is amended

1-22     by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

1-23           (e)  In the development of rules, the department may utilize

 2-1     negotiated rulemaking procedures and may retain private

 2-2     facilitators or neutral state-employed facilitators trained in

 2-3     negotiated rulemaking and mediation to assist the department with

 2-4     the negotiated rulemaking.

 2-5           SECTION 4.  Chapter 2, Acts of the 72nd Legislature, 1st

 2-6     Called Session, 1991 (Article 4494q-2, Vernon's Texas Civil

 2-7     Statutes), is repealed.

 2-8           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-9           SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-10     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-11     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-12     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-13     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.