H.R. No. 2194
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
 
 
         BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of
  Texas, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, That House Rule 13,
  Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13,
  Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to
  resolve the differences on Senate Bill 1742 (physician and health
  care provider directories, preauthorization, utilization review,
  independent review, and peer review for certain health benefit
  plans and workers' compensation coverage) to consider and take
  action on the following matter:
         House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit the
  conference committee to add text on a matter not included in either
  the house or senate version of the bill by adding the following new
  ARTICLE to the bill:
  ARTICLE 4. JOINT INTERIM STUDY
         SECTION 4.01.  CREATION OF JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE. (a)  A
  joint interim committee is created to study, review, and report on
  the use of prior authorization and utilization review processes by
  private health benefit plan issuers in this state, as provided by
  Section 4.02 of this article, and propose reforms under that
  section related to the transparency of and improving patient
  outcomes under the prior authorization and utilization review
  processes used by private health benefit plan issuers in this
  state.
         (b)  The joint interim committee shall be composed of four
  senators appointed by the lieutenant governor and four members of
  the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house
  of representatives.
         (c)  The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
  representatives shall each designate a co-chair from among the
  joint interim committee members.
         (d)  The joint interim committee shall convene at the joint
  call of the co-chairs.
         (e)  The joint interim committee has all other powers and
  duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
  senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
  Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
  on administration.
         SECTION 4.02.  INTERIM STUDY REGARDING PRIOR AUTHORIZATION
  AND UTILIZATION REVIEW PROCESSES. (a)  The joint interim committee
  created by Section 4.01 of this article shall study data and other
  information available from the Texas Department of Insurance, the
  office of public insurance counsel, or other sources the committee
  determines relevant to examine and analyze the transparency of and
  improving patient outcomes under the prior authorization and
  utilization review processes used by private health benefit plan
  issuers in this state.
         (b)  The joint interim committee shall propose reforms based
  on the study required under Subsection (a) of this section to
  improve the transparency of and patient outcomes under prior
  authorization and utilization review processes in this state.
         (c)  The joint interim committee shall prepare a report of
  the findings and proposed reforms.
         SECTION 4.03.  COMMITTEE FINDINGS AND PROPOSED REFORMS. (a)
  Not later than December 1, 2020, the joint interim committee
  created under Section 4.01 of this article shall submit to the
  lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
  and the governor the report prepared under Section 4.02 of this
  article. The joint interim committee shall include in its report
  recommendations of specific statutory and regulatory changes that
  appear necessary from the committee's study under Section 4.02 of
  this article.
         (b)  Not later than the 60th day after the effective date of
  this Act, the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
  representatives shall appoint the members of the joint interim
  committee in accordance with Section 4.01 of this article.
         SECTION 4.04.  ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The joint interim
  committee created under Section 4.01 of this article is abolished
  and this article expires December 15, 2020.
         Explanation: The addition is necessary to provide for the
  interim study of the use of prior authorization and utilization
  review processes by health benefit plan issuers in this state and
  the proposal of reforms to improve the transparency of and patient
  outcomes under those processes.
 
  J. Johnson of Dallas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 2194 was adopted by the House on May
  26, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 103, Nays 42, 1 present, not
  voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House