Floor Packet Page No. 195 Amend CSHB 1 in Article II of the bill by striking Rider 31 (Page II-70) following the appropriations to the Texas Department of Human Services and substitute: Community Care Assessment Tool. Out of funds appropriated above, the Department of Human Services shall develop a new functional needs assessment tool for eligibility for community care programs for aged and disabled clients, which takes into consideration any other evaluation/assessment tools utilized by other state agencies and other states. The tool shall take into consideration innovations in technology with assistive devices. The assessment tool shall be evaluated for validity by an independent third party as an assessment tool for ensuring that clients with the greatest functional needs are identified for services. The assessment tool shall ensure that a client's family resources, monetary, community resources and otherwise, are taken into consideration in the calculation of hours of assistance needed. The scoring instrument will be used in conjunction with program services to ensure that clients with scores identifying the greatest financial and functional needs receive services. It is the intent of the Legislature that the department provide a status report on progress in developing the tool on the Legislative Budget Board and the Governor by January 1, 2004 and that the tool be fully implemented by September 1, 2004.