Amend HB 833 by adding the following appropriately numbered 
SECTION and renumbering the SECTIONS of the bill appropriately:
	SECTION ____.  (a)  The Texas Workers' Compensation 
Commission shall consider a rulemaking petition based on a study 
funded by collaborative efforts of workers' compensation insurance 
carriers and pharmacy providers.  The study must be designed to 
determine pharmacy fees paid by other payors and administrative 
costs and expenses incurred by pharmacy providers to process claims 
and payments for prescription drugs provided to individuals under 
the Texas workers' compensation system relative to the costs and 
expenses incurred in providing the drugs to self-paying individuals 
or individuals for whom payment is made under insurance coverage 
other than workers' compensation insurance.
	(b)  The Texas Workers' Compensation Commission shall adopt, 
not later than six months after the date a rulemaking petition is 
submitted to the commission, rules that clearly define the 
methodology for determining payment amounts for prescription drugs 
under Subtitle A, Title 5, Labor Code.  The rules described by this 
section must  take into account pharmacy fees paid by other payors 
and the costs and expenses that workers' compensation insurance 
carriers and pharmacies incur in providing prescription drugs to 
individuals under that subtitle and must ensure the presence of a 
reliable network of pharmacy providers for injured workers in this 
state.
	(c)  The Texas Workers' Compensation Commission shall pursue 
efforts to streamline the procedures for presenting, processing, 
and paying claims for prescription drugs under Subtitle A, Title 5, 
Labor Code, through the development of a system that is more 
efficient than the system in place on the effective date of this 
Act.
	(d)  The Texas Workers' Compensation Commission shall 
implement the requirements of this section in a budget-neutral 
manner and consider the findings of studies or other research 
funded by collaborative efforts of workers' compensation insurance 
carriers and pharmacy providers.  If the studies are not funded by 
workers' compensation insurance carriers and pharmacy providers 
and this section cannot be implemented in a budget-neutral manner, 
this section may not be implemented.
	(e)  This section expires December 31, 2004.