C.S.H.B. 725 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 725 By: Haggerty State Health Care Expenditures, Select Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, a community supervision and corrections department (department) must contract with a county or a county in their jurisdiction in order to provide health coverage and other benefits to department employees. They are therefore subject to that county's choice of insurance provider, and in some cases may pay higher premiums, as in the case of a small insurance pool. Allowing departments to participate in the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) as though their employees were state employees may provide the employees with access to a better benefits package. H.B. 725 extends basic life, accident, and health benefits coverage under ERS to active department employees, retired employees, and the eligible dependents of active and retired department employees. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 725 substitute differs from the original bill by stating that the community justice assistance division of the Texas department of criminal justice is responsible for payment of the contributions for each of a department's participating active employees and employees' dependent, retired employees and retired employees dependents that the state would make under Subchapter G if the employees were state employees. (Sec. 1551.114 (e), (f) and (g)) H.B. 725 substitution deletes reference to the use of state funds in Government Code 509.011 (c). The substitute requires the community supervision and corrections department to submit, no later than June 1 of each year, to the board of trustees an estimated number of active employees, retired employees, and dependents of active or retired employees to be enrolled in the group benefits programs for the following fiscal year and reconcile with the board of trustee record of coverage on a monthly basis. (Sec, 1551.321 (a) and (b)) The substitute requires the board of trustees no later then August 1 of each year to notify the community justice assistance division of the Texas department of criminal justice of the estimated number of community supervision and corrections departments active employees, retired employees and dependents for the following fiscal year. The community justice assistance division of the Texas department of criminal justice on receipt of notifications shall make timely payments to the board of trustees and reconcile each month with the board of trustees records. (Sec 1551.322 (a) and (b)) The department shall submit all information in a manner and form prescribed by the ERS. (76.006 (I)) The bill also amends 509.011 which requires the community justice assistance to submit payment to the comptroller for payment to the ERS for community supervision and corrections department participants from money that the division would otherwise allocate to a department.(509.011 Government Code) Set a time table for commissioners court to provide benefits information no latter than September 1, 2004. (Section 3.02) EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003. Article 2 effective September 1, 2004. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The words "The community justice assistance division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice" replaces "each community supervision and corrections department" in subsection (e) line 13 page 4. The word "division" replaces the word "department" in subsection (e) line 20 page 4. The words "The community justice assistance division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice" replaces "each community supervision and corrections department" in subsection (f) line 27 page 4. The word "division" replaces the word "department" in subsection (e) line 20 page 4. The words "the community justice assistance division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice" replaces "each community supervision and corrections department" in subsection (g) line 14 page 5. A new subsection (i) is added on line 20 page 7. A new subsection (a-1) is added to SECTION 2.02. and replaces subsection (c), on line 25 page 7.