By Greenberg H.B. No. 3007
76R8994 DLF-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to health benefits plan coverage for children of certain
1-3 employees paid by state appropriated money.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. The Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance
1-6 Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code) is
1-7 amended by adding Section 14A to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 14A. COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF CERTAIN
1-9 EMPLOYEES. (a) Subject to any applicable limit in the General
1-10 Appropriations Act, the trustee shall use money appropriated for
1-11 employer contributions to fund basic coverage for a child who:
1-12 (1) is a dependent of an employee;
1-13 (2) is younger than 18 years of age;
1-14 (3) has a family income of less than 200 percent of
1-15 poverty level according to the poverty index prepared by the
1-16 federal Office of Management and Budget; and
1-17 (4) is not eligible for the state Medicaid program.
1-18 (b) Notwithstanding Section 14(d) of this Act, the employee
1-19 may not be required to contribute any amount towards coverage
1-20 provided under Subsection (a) of this section.
1-21 (c) The trustee shall identify employees who may be eligible
1-22 for dependent child coverage under Subsection (a) and notify the
1-23 employee that:
1-24 (1) the employee may be eligible for dependent child
2-1 coverage under Subsection (a) of this section; and
2-2 (2) the employee may apply for the coverage as
2-3 provided by Subsection (d).
2-4 (d) An employee who desires dependent child coverage under
2-5 this section shall apply to the Texas Department of Human Services
2-6 or other agency designated by the Health and Human Services
2-7 Commission to perform eligibility screening under this section.
2-8 The eligibility screening shall be coordinated with eligibility
2-9 screening for the state Medicaid program. The agency that performs
2-10 the eligibility screening shall certify to the trustee in writing
2-11 whether a child is eligible for dependent child coverage under
2-12 Subsection (a) of this section.
2-13 (e) The trustee shall ensure that, under any contract
2-14 implementing the basic coverage under this Act, a determination
2-15 that a dependent child is eligible for coverage under Subsection
2-16 (a) of this section is a change in status that entitles the
2-17 employee to enroll the child in the coverage without regard to any
2-18 enrollment period requirement that would otherwise be applicable.
2-19 SECTION 2. Section 15(b), Texas Employees Uniform Group
2-20 Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance
2-21 Code), is amended to read as follows:
2-22 (b) The state shall contribute to the cost of each
2-23 employee's individual and dependent group coverages the amounts
2-24 appropriated for the coverages in the General Appropriations Act.
2-25 The state may contribute a greater amount for coverage for
2-26 dependent children described by Section 14A(a) of this Act than the
2-27 state contributes for group coverages for other dependent children.
3-1 The governing board of each state department and institution of
3-2 higher education participating in the program established under
3-3 this Act shall pay the trustee a like amount for each employee's
3-4 individual or dependent group coverages for their employees who
3-5 are, and retirees who were, compensated from funds not appropriated
3-6 in the General Appropriations Act. The departments and
3-7 institutions shall include the required contributions from funds
3-8 not appropriated in the General Appropriations Act in their annual
3-9 operating budgets. Each state department and institution of higher
3-10 education participating in the program shall assure current
3-11 participant coverages based on the records of the trustee, make
3-12 timely payments of amounts due the trustee from all fund sources
3-13 under the control of the department or institution, and reconcile
3-14 trustee and agency records of coverages and payments monthly.
3-15 There is hereby allocated to the trustee, in accordance with the
3-16 provisions of this Act, from the several funds from which employees
3-17 receive their respective salaries, a sum equal to the total of all
3-18 employer contributions computed in accordance with the provisions
3-19 of this Act and the rules and regulations of the trustee
3-20 promulgated pursuant thereto.
3-21 SECTION 3. The Texas State College and University Employees
3-22 Uniform Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-3, Vernon's Texas
3-23 Insurance Code) is amended by adding Section 17A to read as
3-24 follows:
3-25 Sec. 17A. COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF CERTAIN
3-26 EMPLOYEES. (a) Subject to any applicable limit in the General
3-27 Appropriations Act, an institution shall use money appropriated for
4-1 employer contributions to fund basic coverage for a child who:
4-2 (1) is a dependent of an employee;
4-3 (2) is younger than 18 years of age;
4-4 (3) has a family income of less than 200 percent of
4-5 poverty level according to the poverty index prepared by the
4-6 federal Office of Management and Budget; and
4-7 (4) is not eligible for the state Medicaid program.
4-8 (b) Notwithstanding Section 17 of this Act, the employee may
4-9 not be required to contribute any amount towards coverage provided
4-10 under Subsection (a) of this section.
4-11 (c) The institution shall identify employees who may be
4-12 eligible for dependent child coverage under Subsection (a) and
4-13 notify the employee that:
4-14 (1) the employee may be eligible for dependent child
4-15 coverage under Subsection (a) of this section; and
4-16 (2) the employee may apply for the coverage as
4-17 provided by Subsection (d).
4-18 (d) An employee who desires dependent child coverage under
4-19 this section shall apply to the Texas Department of Human Services
4-20 or other agency designated by the Health and Human Services
4-21 Commission to perform eligibility screening under this section. The
4-22 eligibility screening shall be coordinated with eligibility
4-23 screening for the state Medicaid program. The agency that performs
4-24 the eligibility screening shall certify to the institution in
4-25 writing whether a child is eligible for dependent child coverage
4-26 under Subsection (a) of this section.
4-27 (e) An institution shall ensure that, under any contract
5-1 implementing the basic coverage under this Act, a determination
5-2 that a dependent child is eligible for coverage under Subsection
5-3 (a) of this section is a change in status that entitles the
5-4 employee to enroll the child in the coverage without regard to any
5-5 enrollment period requirement that would otherwise be applicable.
5-6 SECTION 4. Section 13, Texas State College and University
5-7 Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-3, Vernon's
5-8 Texas Insurance Code), is amended to read as follows:
5-9 Sec. 13. EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Certification shall be
5-10 submitted on or before the first day of November next preceding
5-11 each regular session of the legislature; the institutions and
5-12 agencies covered under the provisions of this Act shall certify to
5-13 the Legislative Budget Board and budget division of the Governor's
5-14 Budget and Planning Office the amount necessary to pay employer
5-15 contributions for each active and retired employee from the
5-16 effective date of this Act.
5-17 (b) The state may contribute a greater amount for coverage
5-18 for dependent children of employees described by Section 17A(a) of
5-19 this Act than the state contributes for group coverages for other
5-20 dependent children.
5-21 (c) The Legislative Budget Board and the Governor's Budget
5-22 and Planning Office will establish procedures to insure that
5-23 eligible institutions request appropriate funds to support this
5-24 program and shall present appropriate budget recommendations to the
5-25 legislature.
5-26 (d) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas, Optional
5-27 Retirement Program carriers, and Employees Retirement System of
6-1 Texas shall furnish each institution such information as may be
6-2 deemed necessary by the institution to provide retired employees
6-3 with the coverages and employer contributions provided under the
6-4 Act.
6-5 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
6-6 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-7 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-8 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-9 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
6-10 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
6-11 passage, and it is so enacted.