By Naishtat                                            H.B. No. 966
         77R1619 JRD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to requiring the Health and Human Services Commission to
 1-3     study ways to allow appropriated money to follow an individual who
 1-4     is leaving institutional care and will need community-based
 1-5     services.
 1-6           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-7           SECTION 1.  In this Act, "health and human services agencies"
 1-8     has the meaning assigned by Section 531.001, Government Code.
 1-9           SECTION 2.  The Health and Human Services Commission shall
1-10     study ways in which health and human services agencies may:
1-11                 (1)  quantify the amount of money appropriated by the
1-12     legislature that is spent to care for a person who is receiving
1-13     institutional care in an institution operated by the state or
1-14     funded at least in part by appropriated money; and
1-15                 (2)  redirect all or part of that amount to one or more
1-16     community-based programs that will provide community-based services
1-17     to the person in the event the person leaves the institution to
1-18     live in the community.
1-19           SECTION 3.  The commission shall consider ways in which the
1-20     money may be redirected under existing law, whether the money could
1-21     be redirected in advisable ways if changes were made in the General
1-22     Appropriations Act, and advisable ways in which the money could be
1-23     redirected that would require changes in general law.
1-24           SECTION 4.  At the commission's request, each health and
 2-1     human services agency shall provide information to the commission
 2-2     and assist the commission in performing the study.
 2-3           SECTION 5.  Not later than November 1, 2002, the commission
 2-4     shall report its conclusions and recommendations to the presiding
 2-5     officer of each house of the legislature, to the Senate Finance
 2-6     Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, and to each
 2-7     standing committee of either house of the legislature that has
 2-8     primary jurisdiction over the commission or a health and human
 2-9     services agency.
2-10           SECTION 6.  This Act expires June 1, 2003.
2-11           SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.