LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  May 14, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Harvey Hilderbran, Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 84, Committee Report 2nd House, as amended
          Committee on Human Services                              By: Moncrief
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB84 ( Relating 
to the licensure and regulation of nursing facility administrators; 
providing penalties.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB84-Committee Report 2nd House, as amended
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal 
basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions 
of the bill.

The bill would repeal the Texas Nursing Facility 
Administrators Licensure Act (Article 4512q, Revised Statutes), 
and add a new subchapter on nursing facility administration 
to Chapter 242 of the Health and Safety Code.  The bill contains 
two articles.

The first article would authorize the Board 
of Human Services to adopt rules for the licensing of nursing 
facility administrators, authorize the Department of Human Services 
(DHS) to administer the licensing program, and designate DHS 
as the licensing agency for the healing arts under 42 U.S.C. 
Section 1396g (the U.S. Social Security Act).  It would continue 
most of the other provisions in the current licensing law, including 
a provision that requires the board to adopt rules setting reasonable 
and necessary fees to cover the cost of administering the subchapter.

The 
second article would only take effect if the federal government 
issues a ruling that the system established under Article 1 
does not comply with federal regulations.  Article 2 would establish 
within DHS a new Texas Board of Nursing Facility Administrators 
with a slightly different membership composition from the current 
board.  The new board would be the designated licensing authority 
for the healing arts, and the state licensing agency for nursing 
facility practitioners, under the U.S. Social Security Act and 
related federal regulations.  Article 2 would continue most 
of the other provisions in the current licensing law, including 
one that requires the board to adopt rules setting reasonable 
and necessary fees to cover the cost of administering the subchapter.

The 
bill would not significantly alter the requirements of the current 
licensing statute.  Therefore, it is assumed that the bill would 
not create any significant new costs or savings for the licensing 
program.
         
 
          
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,BB