SRC-MKV S.B. 1245 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1245
77R7618 MCK-DBy: Moncrief
Health & Human Services
3/20/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the direct care staff of home health agencies are not on the
list of employees covered by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS)
Employee Misconduct Registry.  This prevents home health agencies and other
long-term care providers from discovering whether a potential employee who
worked in the home health care field has a record of abuse or neglect
against a client.  As proposed, S.B. 1245 adds direct care staff employed
by home health agencies to the list of employees covered by the DHS
Employee Misconduct Registry (EMR).  The bill also requires the Department
of Protective and Regulatory Services to place findings from investigations
of alleged misconduct in the EMR following due process proceedings. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Department of Protective
and Regulatory Services in SECTION 1 (Sections 48.402 and 48.407, Human
Resources Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 48, Human Resources Code, by adding Subchapter
I, as follows: 

SUBCHAPTER I.  EMPLOYEE MISCONDUCT REGISTRY
 
Sec. 48.401.  DEFINITIONS.  Defines "agency," "employee," "employee
misconduct registry," "executive director," and "reportable conduct." 
  
Sec. 48.402.  RULES RELATING TO REPORTABLE CONDUCT.  Authorizes the
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (department) to adopt
rules to further define reportable conduct. 
 
Sec. 48.403.  FINDING.  Requires the department, after an investigation and
following the procedures of this subchapter, if the department confirms or
validates the occurrence of reportable conduct by an employee, to forward
the finding to the Texas Department of Human Services to record the
reportable conduct in the registry under Section 253.007 (Employee
Misconduct Registry), Health and Safety Code. 
 
Sec. 48.404.  NOTICE OF FINDING. (a)  Requires the department to give
written notice of the department's findings under Section 48.403 to the
employee.  Requires the notice to include certain information. 
 
(b)  Authorizes the employee notified, not later than the 30th day after
the date the notice is received, to accept the finding of the department
made under this section or to make a written request for a hearing on that
finding.  
 
(c)  Requires the executive director or the executive director's designee,
if the employee notified of the violation accepts the finding of the
department or fails to timely respond  to the notice, to issue an order
approving the finding and ordering that the department's findings be
forwarded to the Texas Department of Human Services to be recorded in the
registry under Section 253.007, Health and Safety Code.  
 
Sec. 48.405.  HEARING; ORDER. (a)  Requires the department, if the employee
requests a hearing, to perform certain duties. 
  
(b)  Requires the hearings examiner to make findings of fact and
conclusions of law and to promptly issue to the executive director or the
executive director's designee a proposal for decision as to the occurrence
of the reportable conduct.  
 
(c)  Authorizes the executive director or the executive director's designee
by order, based on the findings of fact and conclusions of law and the
recommendations of the hearings examiner, to find that the reportable
conduct has occurred.  Requires the executive director or the executive
director's designee, if the executive director or the executive director's
designee finds that reportable conduct has occurred, to issue an order
approving the finding.  
 
Sec. 48.406.  NOTICE; JUDICIAL REVIEW. (a)  Requires the department to give
notice of the order under Section 48.405 to the employee alleged to have
committed the reportable conduct.  Requires the notice to include certain
information. 
  
(b)  Authorizes the employee, not later than the 30th day after the date
the decision becomes final as provided by Chapter 2001 (Administrative
Procedure), Government Code, to file a petition for judicial review
contesting the finding of the reportable conduct.  Requires the department
to send a record of the department's findings to the Texas Department of
Human Services to record in the registry under Section 253.007, Health and
Safety Code, if the employee does not request judicial review of the
finding. 
 
(c)  Provides that judicial review of the order is instituted by filing a
petition as provided by Chapter 2001G (Contested Cases: Judicial Review),
Government Code, and is under the substantial evidence rule.  
 
(d)  Requires the department to forward the finding of reportable conduct
to the Texas Department of Human Services to record the reportable conduct
in the registry under Section 253.007, Health and Safety Code, if the court
sustains the finding of the occurrence of the reportable conduct. 
 
Sec. 48.407.  INFORMAL PROCEEDINGS. Requires the department by rule to
adopt procedures governing informal proceedings held in compliance with
Section 2001.056 (Informal Disposition of Contested Case), Government Code.
 
Sec. 48.408.  INFORMATION FOR THE EMPLOYEE MISCONDUCT REGISTRY. (a)
Requires the department, when the department forwards a finding of
reportable conduct to the Texas Department of Human Services for recording
in the employee misconduct registry, to provide the employee's name, the
employee's address, the employee's social security number, if available,
the name of the agency, the address of the agency, the date the reportable
conduct occurred, and a description of the reportable conduct.  
 
(b)  Authorizes the department to send to the Texas Department of Human
Services, for recording in the employee misconduct registry, the employee's
name, the employee's address, the employee's social security number, if
available, the name of the agency, the address of the agency, the date of
the act, and a description of the act, if a governmental agency of another
state or the federal government finds that an employee has committed an act
that constitutes reportable conduct. 
  
SECTION 2.  Amends Section 253.001, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Subdivision (5), as follows: 
  (5)  "Reportable conduct" includes:

(A)  abuse or neglect that causes or may cause death or harm to a resident
or consumer of a facility; 
   
   (B)  sexual abuse of a resident or consumer of a facility;
   
(C)  financial exploitation of a resident or consumer of a facility in an
amount of $25 or more; and 
   
(D)  emotional, verbal, or psychological abuse that causes harm to a
resident or consumer of a facility. 

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 253.002, Health and Safety Code, to change a
reference relating to an employee of a facility that has abused, neglected,
or exploited a resident or consumer of a facility or misappropriated a
resident's or consumer's property to an employee of a facility that
committed reportable conduct.  Makes conforming changes. 

SECTION 4.  Amends Sections 253.003(a) and (c), Health and Safety Code, to
make conforming changes. 

SECTION 5.  Amends Sections 253.004(b) and (c), Health and Safety Code, to
make conforming changes. 

SECTION 6.  Amends Sections 253.005(a), (b), and (d), Health and Safety
Code, to make conforming changes. 

SECTION 7.  Amends Sections 253.007(a) and (b), Health and Safety Code, to
make conforming changes. 

SECTION 8.  Amends Section 253.008, Health and Safety Code, to add language
relating to an agency licensed under Chapter 142 hiring an employee and
relating to an individual receiving services from an agency licensed under
Chapter 1442.  Makes conforming changes. 

SECTION 9.  Amends Section 253.009(a), Health and Safety Code, to make a
conforming change. 

SECTION 10. Amends Chapter 253, Health and Safety Code, by adding Sections
253.0075 and 253.010, as follows: 
 
Sec. 253.0075.  RECORDING REPORTABLE CONDUCT REPORTED BY DEPARTMENT OF
PROTECTIVE AND REGULATORY SERVICES. Requires the Texas Department of Human
Services (department) to record the information in the employee misconduct
registry, on receipt of a finding of reportable conduct by the Department
of Protective and Regulatory Services under Chapter 48I, Human Resources
Code. 
 
Sec. 253.010.  REMOVAL FROM REGISTRY. Authorizes the department to remove a
person from the employee misconduct registry if, after receiving a written
request from the person, the department determines that the person does not
meet the requirements for inclusion in the employee misconduct registry. 
 
SECTION 11.  (a)  Effective date: September 1, 2001.
 
  (b) Makes application of this Act prospective.