1-1     By:  Jackson                                           S.B. No. 881
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 4, 1999; March 8, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development;
 1-4     March 25, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 4,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 25, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to enrollment periods for employer health benefit plans.
 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-10           SECTION 1.  Subsection (f), Article 26.83, Insurance Code, is
1-11     amended to read as follows:
1-12           (f)  The initial enrollment period for employees meeting the
1-13     participation criteria must be at least 31 days, with a 31-day
1-14     annual open enrollment period.  [Such enrollment period shall
1-15     consist of an entire calendar month, beginning on the first day of
1-16     the month and ending on the last day of the month.  If the month is
1-17     February, the period shall last through March 2.]
1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
1-19     applies only to an insurance policy, evidence of coverage,
1-20     contract, or other document establishing coverage under a health
1-21     benefit plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on
1-22     or after that date.  An insurance policy, evidence of coverage,
1-23     contract, or other document establishing coverage under a health
1-24     benefit plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed
1-25     before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law as it
1-26     existed immediately before that date, and that law is continued in
1-27     effect for that purpose.
1-28           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-29     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-30     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-31     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-32     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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