SRC-TBR S.B. 35 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 35
77R519 JRD-DBy: Zaffirini
Health & Human Services
2/9/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there is legislation requiring the Health and Human Services
Commission to assist communities, at their request, in developing
comprehensive, community-based support and service delivery systems for
long-term care services.  Current legislation does not however, include
financial resources to assist with the effort.  As proposed, S.B. 35
establishes a long-term care local access fund, to be administered by the
Health and Human Services Commission, to improve access to longterm care
services. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 531.02481, Government Code, by amending
Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (g), as follows: 

(a)  Authorizes the Health and Human Services Commission (commission), at
the request of a community-based organization or combination of
community-based organizations, to provide a grant to the organization or
combination of organizations in accordance with Subsection (g). 

(g)  Requires the commission, in making a grant to a community-based
organization, to evaluate the organization's proposal based on demonstrated
need and the merit of the proposal. 

_  Requires that a single organization be designated to receive and
administer the grant, if a combination of community-based organizations
makes a proposal for a grant. 

  _  Authorizes the commission to adopt guidelines for proposals under this
subsection. 

_  Requires the commission to give priority to proposals that will use the
Internet and related information technologies to provide to clients
referral services, other information regarding local long-term care
services, and needs assessment. 

_  Requires a community-based organization to at least partially match the
state grant with money or other resources obtained from a nongovernmental
entity, from a local government, or if the community-based organization is
a local government, from fees or taxes collected by the local government,
to receive a grant under this section. 

_  Authorizes the community-based organization to combine the money or
resources the organization obtains from a variety of sate, local, federal,
or private sources to accomplish the purpose of the proposal. 

_  Authorizes the commission to condition the receipt of the grant on the
organization's making a good faith effort to coordinate with other entities
in the manner indicated in the  proposal, if a community-based organization
receives a grant on behalf of a combination of community-based
organizations or if the community-based organization's proposal involved
coordinating with other entities to accomplish the purpose of the proposal. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2001.