BILL ANALYSIS
By: Nelson
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, the quality of life competitive grant program partially pays for the development of a project designed to serve as a model of best practices for the nursing home industry. No program exists to disseminate nursing home best practices for improving resident quality of life. Innovation grants will enable facilities that have developed and implemented a quality improvement innovation to highlight and educate others on their innovations.
S.B. 52 creates a separate grant program to promulgate quality of life innovations that serve as a model of best practices. The bill requires the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) to competitively award these grants based on academic soundness and proven, quantifiable effectiveness, and to monitor grantee compliance with program guidelines.
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
The bill authorizes the use of administrative penalties collected under certain provisions of the Health and Safety Code to be appropriated for the purpose of funding the competitive grant program to be established by the Act.
The bill requires DADS to establish a competitive grant program that promotes innovation in the delivery of aging and disability services and improves the quality of life for individuals receiving those services. The bill sets forth the authorized uses of a grant made under the program, establishes a process for awarding grants, and requires that grants to test innovative practices in the provision of aging and disability services be made to institutions of higher education working in cooperation with a private entity that has committed resources to the project.
The bill authorizes a grant recipient to use grant money only to pay for activities directly related to the purpose of the grant program and prohibits the use of grant money for fees or advertising.
The bill requires DADS to establish procedures to administer the grant program, including procedures for submission and evaluation of proposals. The bill requires DADS to enter into a contract that includes performance requirements with each grant recipient and to monitor and enforce the terms of the contract. The bill further provides that the contract must authorize DADS to recoup money for noncompliance with the contract. DADS is also required to post on its website a summary of each grant awarded under the program.
The bill authorizes the Legislature to appropriate money to fund the program, describes the funding mechanism, and sets forth legislative intent that the grant program is to be established only if DADS determines that the administrative penalties earmarked for the program are sufficient to fund the grants to be awarded.
The bill repeals a provision of the Health and Safety Code.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2005