By:  Zaffirini                                                    S.B. No. 1742
	(In the Senate - Filed March 14, 2003; March 24, 2003, read 
first time and referred to Committee on Finance; May 7, 2003, 
reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the 
following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 7, 2003, sent to printer.)


COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1742                                   By:  Zaffirini

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the transfer of money appropriated to provide care for certain persons in nursing facilities to provide community-based services to those persons. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Chapter 22, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 22.006 to read as follows: Sec. 22.006. TRANSFER OF MONEY FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES. (a) In this section, "health and human services agencies" has the meaning assigned by Section 531.001, Government Code. (b) For each person who lives in a nursing facility but who is leaving that facility to live in the community with the assistance of community-based services provided by the department, the department shall: (1) quantify the amount of money needed for the person to live in the community with the assistance of community-based services for the remainder of the state fiscal biennium; and (2) notwithstanding any other state law and to the maximum extent allowed by federal law, transfer from the money appropriated by the legislature that would have been spent to care for that person in a nursing facility the amount quantified under Subdivision (1) within the department's budget as necessary to comply with this section. (c) For each person who lives in a nursing facility but who is leaving that facility to live in the community with the assistance of community-based services provided by a health and human services agency other than the department, the department shall: (1) quantify the amount of money appropriated by the legislature that would have been spent during the remainder of the state fiscal biennium to care for the person in a nursing facility; and (2) notwithstanding any other state law and to the maximum extent allowed by federal law, transfer at the time the person leaves the nursing facility the amount quantified under Subdivision (1) to other health and human services agencies as necessary to comply with this section. (d) The department or another health and human services agency to which money is transferred under this section shall ensure that the amount transferred under Subsection (b)(2) or (c)(2), as applicable, is redirected to one or more community-based programs to provide community-based services to the person after the person leaves the nursing facility. SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is granted. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.
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