AN ACT
 1-1     relating to a branch office of a home health or personal assistance
 1-2     services agency.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  After consulting with the Texas Department of
 1-5     Health, the Texas Department of Human Services, and providers and
 1-6     consumers of home health and personal assistance services, the
 1-7     commissioner of health and human services shall contact the federal
 1-8     Health Care Financing Administration to request that the Health
 1-9     Care Financing Administration adopt rules that:
1-10                 (1)  allow a home and community support services agency
1-11     to use modern methods of communication in the supervision of the
1-12     agency's branch offices, including the telephone, fax machines,
1-13     pagers, and electronic mail; and
1-14                 (2)  eliminate the driving distance requirements for a
1-15     branch office of a home and community support services agency.
1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
         _______________________________     _______________________________
             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House
               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 983 passed the Senate on
         May 10, 1999, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that the
         Senate concurred in House amendment on May 28, 1999, by a viva-voce
         vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Secretary of the Senate
               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 983 passed the House, with
         amendment, on May 25, 1999, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House
         Approved:
         _______________________________
                     Date
         _______________________________
                   Governor