By Deshotel                                           H.B. No. 3377
         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to individual policy or group policy accident and sickness
 1-3     insurance for persons with mental illness or mental retardation.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Section 3.70-2(d), Insurance Code is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 3.70-2.
 1-8           (d)  No individual policy or group policy of accident and
 1-9     sickness insurance delivered or issued for delivery to any person
1-10     in this state which provides coverage for mental illness or mental
1-11     retardation or both mental illness and mental retardation shall
1-12     exclude benefits for the support, maintenance and treatment of such
1-13     mental illness or mental retardation provided by a tax supported
1-14     institution of the State of Texas, including community centers for
1-15     mental health and mental retardation services, provided charges for
1-16     the care or treatment of such mental illness or mental retardation
1-17     are regularly and customarily charged to non-indigent patients by
1-18     such tax supported institution.  In determining whether or not a
1-19     patient is a non-indigent patient, as provided in Chapter 76,
1-20     Section 1, Acts of the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991
1-21     (Section 552.012 and 552.013, Health and Safety Code) [Chapter 152,
1-22     Acts of the 45th Legislature, Regular Session, 1937 (Article 3196a,
1-23     Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)], such tax supported institution
 2-1     shall consider any insurance policy (or policies) which provides
 2-2     coverage for mental illness or mental retardation or both mental
 2-3     illness and mental retardation to such patients.
 2-4           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
 2-9     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-10     passage, and it is so enacted.