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.