LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  April 17, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Harvey Hilderbran, Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 190, Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
          Committee on Human Services                              By: Naishtat
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB190 ( Relating 
to the regulation of nursing homes and similar facilities; providing 
penalties.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB190-Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
         
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net 
positive impact of $472,000 to General Revenue Related Funds 
through the biennium ending August 31, 1999.
         
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 amend Chapter 242 of the Health 
and Safety Code and Chapter 32 of the Human Resources Code to 
implement a number of changes relating to the regulation of 
convalescent and nursing homes in Texas.
         
 
Fiscal Analysis
 
Implementation of two provisions in the bill would result in 
a gain to the General Revenue fund.  The first provision would 
authorize the Board of Human Services to raise license fees 
by $100 per facility and $5 per bed.  The second provision would 
authorize the Board of Human Services to establish a background 
examination fee to defray the department's expenses in considering 
the background and qualifications of a wide range of individuals 
associated with license applications.

Implementation of several 
provisions relating to the enforcement program would have no 
significant fiscal impact.  These include provisions that would 
allow the Office of the Attorney General to investigate unlawful 
acts when certain conditions are met, use civil investigative 
demand powers, and file suit in district court to enforce civil 
investigative demands.  The attorney general's office reports 
that any additional legal work as a result of passage of the 
bill could be reasonably absorbed with current staff.

Other 
provisions that would have no significant fiscal impact include: 
requiring the Board of Human Services to adopt a system for 
prioritizing complaint investigations and actions; expanding 
the scope of liability to include violations of participation 
requirements for the state Medicaid program; increasing civil 
and administrative monetary penalties; and allowing the Department 
of Human Services to petition for a temporary restraining order 
when a threatened violation of a state licensing standard poses 
an immediate threat to resident health and safety.

The bill 
would specify that fees and penalties collected by or on behalf 
of the department which are deposited to the credit of the General 
Revenue fund may be appropriated only to the department to administer 
and enforce the state licensing law.  It would also specify 
that revenues collected by the Office of the Attorney General 
to pay for costs associated with successful enforcement actions 
must be deposited to the credit of the General Revenue fund 
and may be appropriated only to the Department of Human Services 
and the Office of the Attorney General.

The bill would also 
require the Legislative Budget Board and the State Auditor to 
jointly prescribe the form and content of annual performance 
reports that the Office of the Attorney General and the Department 
of Human Services must prepare.

The effective date for the 
bill is September 1, 1997, and the Board of Human Services must 
adopt rules to implement the changes in law on or before January 
1, 1998.
 
Methodolgy
 
It is assumed that the Board of Human Services would increase 
licensing fees on September 1, 1997.  The Comptroller of Public 
Accounts estimates that the annual gain to the General Revenue 
fund would be $236,000.  This amount was estimated by applying 
the proportional fee increase to the average level of nursing 
home license fee collections in fiscal years 1995 and 1996.

It 
is also assumed that the Board of Human Services would establish 
a background examination fee equaling the department's expenses, 
but no data is currently available to calculate these expenses.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions 
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage 
is estimated as follows:
 
Five Year Impact:
 
Fiscal Year Probable Revenue   
            Gain/(Loss) from                                                                              
            General Revenue                                                                               
            Fund                                                                                          
            0001                                                                                           
       1998          $236,000                                                                        
       1998           236,000                                                                        
       2000           236,000                                                                        
       2001           236,000                                                                        
       2002           236,000                                                                        
 
 
         Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
 

 
              Fiscal Year      Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
                               General Revenue Related Funds
                                             Funds
               1998             $236,000
               1999              236,000
               2000              236,000
               2001              236,000
               2002              236,000
 
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as 
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
          
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   302   Office of the Attorney General
                                         304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
                                         324   Department of Human Services
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,BB ,NM