By Maxey                                              H.B. No. 2877
         76R9241 CLG-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the lease of certain facilities and the retirement
 1-3     options and health coverage of certain employees in connection with
 1-4     implementation of integrated enrollment services for health and
 1-5     human services programs.
 1-6           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-7           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
 1-8     amended by adding Section 531.051 to read as follows:
 1-9           Sec. 531.051.  LEASES AND SUBLEASES OF CERTAIN OFFICE SPACE.
1-10     (a)  A health and human services agency, with the approval of the
1-11     commission, or the Texas Workforce Commission or any other state
1-12     agency that administers employment services programs, may lease or
1-13     sublease office space to or from a private service provider that
1-14     contracts with the agency to enable agency eligibility and
1-15     enrollment personnel to work with the provider if:
1-16                 (1)  client access to services would be enhanced; and
1-17                 (2)  the colocation of offices would improve the
1-18     efficiency of the administration and delivery of services.
1-19           (b)  Subchapters D and E, Chapter 2165, do not apply to a
1-20     state agency that leases or subleases office space to a private
1-21     service provider under this section.
1-22           (c)  Subchapter B, Chapter 2167, does not apply to a state
1-23     agency that leases or subleases office space from a private service
1-24     provider under this section.
 2-1           (d)  A state agency is delegated the authority to enter into
 2-2     a lease or sublease under this section and may negotiate the terms
 2-3     of the lease or sublease.
 2-4           (e)  To the extent authorized by federal law, a state agency
 2-5     may share business resources with a private service provider that
 2-6     enters into a lease or sublease agreement with the agency under
 2-7     this section.
 2-8           SECTION 2.  Section 814.1041, Government Code, is amended by
 2-9     amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsection (g) to read
2-10     as follows:
2-11           (a)  This section applies only to members of the employee
2-12     class whose positions with the Texas Workforce Commission, the
2-13     Texas Department of Health, the Texas Department of Human Services,
2-14     or the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation are
2-15     eliminated as a result of contracts with private service providers
2-16     or other reductions in services provided by those agencies and who
2-17     separate from state service at that time.
2-18           (f)  The retirement option under this section is not
2-19     available to an employee of the Texas Department of Health or the
2-20     Texas Department of Human Services who receives a cash payment
2-21     under an incentive program implemented by either agency with
2-22     respect to certain employees whose positions are eliminated because
2-23     of  privatization or other reductions in services provided by the
2-24     agency.
2-25           (g)  This section applies only to positions eliminated by
2-26     privatization or other reductions in workforce before September 1,
2-27     2003 [1999].
 3-1           SECTION 3.  The Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance
 3-2     Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code) is
 3-3     amended by adding Section 3B to read as follows:
 3-4           Sec. 3B.  CERTAIN EMPLOYEES MAY ELECT TO PARTICIPATE.  (a)
 3-5     This section applies only to a person who separates from state
 3-6     service and receives a cash payment under an incentive program
 3-7     implemented by the Texas Department of Human Services or the Texas
 3-8     Department of Health with respect to certain employees whose
 3-9     positions are eliminated as a result of privatization or other
3-10     reductions in services provided by those agencies.
3-11           (b)  A person is entitled to receive state contributions
3-12     required to provide health coverage under the program administered
3-13     by the trustee under this Act for two months after the effective
3-14     date of the person's separation from state service.
3-15           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-16           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
3-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.