BILL ANALYSIS
By: Truitt
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Senior citizens often need money management assistance, but often do not require more comprehensive forms of guardianship or lack the resources to obtain professional financial management services. CSHB 2691 provides for safeguards to protect volunteers and the people they help and would make money management part of the guardianship continuum of programs funded by the Health and Human Services Commission.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the opinion of the committee that the rulemaking authority of the Health and Human Services Commission is expressly referenced in SECTION 1 of this bill (Section 531.125, Government Code).
ANALYSIS
CSHB 2691 requires that a local guardianship program to which the Health and Human Services Commission by rule awards a grant offer or submit a plan acceptable to the Health and Human Services commission to offer, among the program's services, a money management service for appropriate clients, as determined by the program. The local guardianship program may provide the money management service directly or by referring a client to a money management service.
CSHB 2691 provides certain minimum requirements that a money management service must meet. However, a requirement may be waived by the Health and Human Services Commission if it is determined that the waiver is appropriate to strengthen the continuum of local guardianship programs in a geographic area.
CSHB 2691 is prospective.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The committee substitute adds the phrase "or submit a plan acceptable to the commission to offer" after the phrase "guardianship program must offer" in Subsection 531.125(b), Government Code, as added by the bill as filed. This allows local guardianship programs to be eligible to receive grants if they do not yet offer money management services.
The committee substitute adds the phrase "on aging" between the words "agency" and "to" in Subsection 531.125(b)(7), Government Code, as added by the bill as filed.
The substitute adds Subsection 531.125(c), Government Code, which authorizes the Health and Human Services Commission to waive a requirement under Subsection (b) if it determines that the waiver is appropriate to strengthen the continuum of local guardianship programs in a geographic area.