| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a study conducted by Texas A&M University on services |
|
|
for children and families available in rural counties for children |
|
|
in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and |
|
|
Protective Services. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services |
|
|
Commission. |
|
|
(2) "Department" means the Department of Family and |
|
|
Protective Services. |
|
|
(3) "Rural county" means a county with a population of |
|
|
less than 50,000. |
|
|
(4) "Services for children and families" includes |
|
|
mental health services, medical services, specialized medical |
|
|
services, and child protective services. |
|
|
(b) The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System |
|
|
shall designate a department or entity at Texas A&M University to |
|
|
conduct a study on services for children and families available to |
|
|
be provided in rural counties to children in the managing |
|
|
conservatorship of the department and to the parents of those |
|
|
children. The study must: |
|
|
(1) determine what types of services for children and |
|
|
families are available to the children and parents in rural |
|
|
counties; |
|
|
(2) determine the number of clinics, physicians, and |
|
|
other service providers that are available to provide services for |
|
|
children and families to children and parents in rural counties; |
|
|
(3) determine the number of clinics, offices of |
|
|
physicians, and other providers of services for children and |
|
|
families in rural counties that have closed in the preceding five |
|
|
years; |
|
|
(4) propose actions the commission and department can |
|
|
take to address any shortage in the provision of services for |
|
|
children and families to children and parents in rural counties, |
|
|
including: |
|
|
(A) the provision of services through |
|
|
telemedicine medical services and telehealth services in rural |
|
|
counties; |
|
|
(B) partnerships between the commission or |
|
|
department and institutions of higher education to provide services |
|
|
in rural counties; and |
|
|
(C) incentives offered by the commission or |
|
|
department to service providers for providing services in rural |
|
|
counties; and |
|
|
(5) make recommendations to the legislature for |
|
|
increasing the quality and quantity of services provided to the |
|
|
children and parents in rural counties. |
|
|
(c) The department or entity at Texas A&M University |
|
|
designated by the board of regents to conduct the study shall |
|
|
provide the study results and recommendations to the governor, |
|
|
lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and |
|
|
each member of the legislature not later than December 1, 2018. |
|
|
(d) This section expires September 1, 2019. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |