By Madla                                               S.B. No. 983
         76R6758 MCK-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a branch office of a home health or personal assistance
 1-3     services agency.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 142.001(5), Health and Safety Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7                 (5)  "Branch office" means a facility or site within
 1-8     150 miles of [in] the [geographical area served by a] home and
 1-9     community support agency where home health or personal assistance
1-10     services are delivered or active client records are maintained.
1-11           SECTION 2.  Section 142.008(a), Health and Safety Code, is
1-12     amended to read as follows:
1-13           (a)  The department may issue a branch office license to a
1-14     person who:
1-15                 (1)  holds a license to provide home health or personal
1-16     assistance services; and
1-17                 (2)  provides home health or personal assistance
1-18     services within 150 miles of the license holder's place of
1-19     business.
1-20           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-21           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.