1-1 By: Madla S.B. No. 983 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 8, 1999; March 9, 1999, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Human Services; 1-4 April 29, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 29, 1999, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 983 By: Harris 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to a branch office of a home health or personal assistance 1-11 services agency. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. After consulting with the Texas Department of 1-14 Health, the Texas Department of Human Services, and providers and 1-15 consumers of home health and personal assistance services, the 1-16 commissioner of health and human services shall contact the federal 1-17 Health Care Financing Administration to request that the Health 1-18 Care Financing Administration adopt rules that: 1-19 (1) allow a home and community support services agency 1-20 to use modern methods of communication in the supervision of the 1-21 agency's branch offices, including the telephone, fax machines, 1-22 pagers, and electronic mail; and 1-23 (2) eliminate the driving distance requirements for a 1-24 branch office of a home and community support services agency or 1-25 allow the state to set its own driving distance requirements. 1-26 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-27 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-28 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-29 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-30 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-31 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-32 * * * * *