SRC-TBR, JBJ S.B. 167 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 167 77R2161 KLA-DBy: Zaffirini Business & Commerce 4/2/2001 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, there is not a memorandum of understanding between the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to assist certain recipients of financial assistance in obtaining employment. As proposed, S.B. 167 requires TWC and DHS to develop and adopt a memorandum of understanding to establish a coordinated interagency management plan to identify barriers to employment for certain recipients of financial assistance and to assist those recipients in finding and retaining employment. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Department of Human Services and the Texas Workforce Commission in SECTION 1( Section 31.0128, Human Resources Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 31A, Human Resources Code, by adding Section 31.0128, as follows: Sec. 31.0128. COORDINATED INTERAGENCY PLAN. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Human Services (department) and the Texas Workforce Commission (commission) to jointly develop and adopt a memorandum of understanding, subject to the approval of the Health and Human Services Commission. Requires the memorandum of understanding to establish certain guidelines for a coordinated interagency case management plan. (b) Requires the department and the commission to: _jointly develop and adopt a memorandum of understanding, subject to the approval of the Health and Human Services Commission, that establishes a coordinated interagency case management plan consistent with the guidelines established under Subsection (a); and _implement the plan through local department and commission offices in local workforce development areas in which a local workforce development board is not established. (c) Requires each agency, by rule, to adopt the memoranda of understanding required by this section and all revisions to the memoranda. (d) Requires the commission, in a local workforce development area in which a local workforce development board is established, to require in the commission's contract with the board, in cooperation with local department offices, that a coordinated interagency case management plan consistent with the guidelines established under Subsection (a), be developed and implemented. SECTION 2. Requires the department and the commission, not later than January 1, 2002, to adopt the memoranda of understanding and to implement the interagency case management plan as required by this Act. SECTION 3. Makes application of Section 31.0128(d), as added by this Act, prospective. SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2001.