By Christian                                          H.B. No. 2660
         77R8836 KKA-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a requirement that recipients of public assistance
 1-3     enroll dependent children in a public health care program.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 531.055 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 531.055.  ENROLLMENT OF CHILDREN IN PUBLIC HEALTH CARE
 1-8     PROGRAMS.  (a)  In this section, "public health care program"
 1-9     includes the Medicaid program and the state child health plan
1-10     program created under Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code.
1-11           (b)  The commission shall adopt rules requiring a person
1-12     receiving public assistance under a program administered by the
1-13     commission or a health and human services agency, as a condition of
1-14     receiving that assistance, to enroll each of the person's dependent
1-15     children in any public health care program for which the child is
1-16     eligible.
1-17           (c)  In implementing the rules adopted under this section,
1-18     the commission or the appropriate health and human services agency
1-19     must:
1-20                 (1)  identify any public health care program in which a
1-21     person is required to enroll a child; and
1-22                 (2)  assist the person with the procedures required to
1-23     enroll the child in the identified program.
1-24           (d)  The rules adopted under this section must include
 2-1     procedures under which the commission or the appropriate health and
 2-2     human services agency may exempt a person from the rules for good
 2-3     cause.  For purposes of this subsection, a person's inability to
 2-4     pay any cost associated with enrollment in a public health care
 2-5     program must be considered good cause for an exemption.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  If before implementing any provision of this Act
 2-7     a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
 2-8     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
 2-9     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
2-10     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
2-11     waiver or authorization is granted.
2-12           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001, and
2-13     applies to a person who receives public assistance from the Health
2-14     and Human Services Commission or a health and human services agency
2-15     on or after that date, regardless of the date on which eligibility
2-16     for that assistance was determined.