BILL ANALYSIS
By: Madden
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
People currently in prison are not eligible to receive Medicare or Medicaid. Health care for prisoners is an expense that the State must bear and elderly inmates are particularly expensive to care for. In order to determine potential savings to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's (TDCJ) budget, a study is appropriate. House Bill 429 instructs TDCJ to conduct a study on the potential savings to the state in health care services costs if TDCJ were to release certain elderly inmates into the community on parole.
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
HB 429 requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the department) to conduct a study to determine the number of inmates 55 years of age or older who: (1) receive health care services from the department and (2) have never been convicted of or received a grant of deferred adjudication for an offense described by Section 3g, Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure.
After determining the number of inmates described by Subsection (a) of the bill, the department must determine the amount of savings that would result to the state in health care services costs if the department were to release the inmates into the community on parole. The bill also requires the department to submit a report regarding the results of the study to the legislature no later than December 1, 2008.
This Act expires on January 1, 2009.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007.