BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1060

By: Nelson

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services recently implemented family cost sharing provisions in the early childhood intervention program. S.B. 1060 seeks to provide for the collection of data and evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of those cost sharing provisions in order to improve the cost-effectiveness of the program.

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

S.B. 1060 amends the Human Resources Code to require the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to collect data, including data on administrative costs and adjusted family income, sufficient to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the family cost share provisions of the early childhood intervention program and changes necessary to improve the cost-effectiveness of the program.

S.B. 1060 requires DARS to modify as necessary the Texas Kids Intervention Data System to accept adjusted family income data submitted by early childhood intervention program providers and to require all providers to enter adjusted family income data into the system. The bill requires DARS to use the data collected to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of existing family cost share provisions in the early childhood intervention program and to consider changes that may improve the cost-effectiveness of the program, including the adoption of a family cost share provision, under which the amount a family pays to participate in the early childhood intervention program is based on the amount of service the family receives under the program.  The bill requires such a family cost share provision implemented by DARS to establish a maximum amount to be paid by a family participating in the early childhood intervention program that is based on the family's size and adjusted gross income, with families in higher income brackets required to pay more under the provision than those families paid before the provision's implementation.

S.B. 1060 requires DARS to implement any considered changes that DARS determines will make the family cost share provisions of the early childhood intervention program more cost-effective, if the changes will not make access to early childhood intervention services cost prohibitive for families. The bill authorizes DARS to decline to implement the considered changes if none of the changes is determined to make the program more cost-effective or if DARS determines that the changes will make access to early childhood intervention services cost prohibitive for families.  The bill requires DARS to evaluate existing family cost share provisions and to consider and implement changes, if appropriate, to the early childhood intervention program on a periodic basis established by DARS and at other times at the request of the Legislative Budget Board (LBB).

S.B. 1060 adds a temporary provision, set to expire September 1, 2015, requiring DARS, not later than December 1, 2014, to conduct the initial evaluation of cost-effectiveness, to implement any changes resulting from that evaluation, and to submit a report to the governor and the LBB summarizing the results of the initial evaluation and explaining any changes that were implemented. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.