By: Bucy H.B. No. 26

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to improvements to the Texas Information and Referral Network.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 531.0312, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (f) and (g) to read as follows:

(a) The Texas Information and Referral Network at the commission is the program responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of a statewide information and referral network that integrates existing community-based structures with state and local agencies. The network must:

(1) include information relating to transportation services provided to clients of state and local agencies;

(2) be capable of assisting with statewide disaster response and emergency management, including through the use of interstate agreements with out-of-state call centers to ensure preparedness and responsiveness;

(3) include technology capable of communicating with clients of state and local agencies using one-way and two-way electronic text messaging to:

(A) enhance client access to information and referral services;

(B) decrease client wait times;

(C) improve customer service; and

(D) disseminate information to clients in a timely manner; [and]

(4) include a publicly accessible Internet-based system to provide real-time, searchable data about [the location and number of] clients of state and local agencies using the system, including:

(A) the number of clients;

(B) the location of clients;

(C) [and] the types of requests made by [the] clients; and

(D) aggregated, de-identified demographic information regarding the clients and client households served by the network, including, if the information is volunteered by the clients after the clients have been given an opportunity to provide informed and explicit consent:

(i) the gender, race, and ethnicity of each client; and

(ii) whether the client or a member of the client's household is:

(a) a veteran;

(b) involved in the criminal justice system;

(c) pregnant; or

(d) the caregiver to a child who is five years of age or younger or a kinship caregiver;

(5) use a standardized screening tool to identify the nonmedical drivers of health for all clients who provide informed and explicit consent to be screened using the screening tool;

(6) provide enhanced navigation services under a level of care three (LOC-3) as prescribed by the Department of State Health Services' Texas Resilience and Recovery Utilization Management Guidelines in order to:

(A) better address complex client needs; and

(B) collaborate with community partners;

(7) be capable of providing closed-loop referrals to support clients and track referral outcomes;

(8) exchange resource data with external partners, including vendors, through data sharing agreements for the purposes of:

(A) connecting clients to a requested service;

(B) addressing nonmedical drivers of health; and

(C) decreasing redundancies in the health and human services system;

(9) comply with all applicable state and federal laws relating to protecting the privacy of each client's health and personal information, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.);

(10) be part of a national repository of information and referral programs and services that provides the most updated information about programs and services available at the local, regional, state, and national levels; and

(11) be capable of providing backup information and referrals during a statewide disaster or system malfunction.

(f) Health care systems and managed care organizations may partner and enter into agreements with the commission and area information centers to share data using the Texas Information and Referral Network to:

(1) facilitate client care coordination; and

(2) address nonmedical drivers of health, including housing, transportation, food, and financial assistance programs.

(g) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, the commission shall:

(1) prepare and submit a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives that:

(A) summarizes the Texas Information and Referral Network's operations, including the effectiveness of the network and any improvements made to the network, during the preceding two state fiscal years;

(B) identifies existing needs and gaps in services in communities in this state that could be addressed through additional improvements to the network; and

(C) provides recommendations for improving the network, including recommendations for improving data privacy and client experience; and

(2) make the report publicly available on:

(A) the commission's Internet website; and

(B) the Texas Information and Referral Network Internet site established under Section 531.0313.

SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 531.03121 to read as follows:

Sec. 531.03121. AREA INFORMATION CENTERS: ACCREDITATION REQUIRED. An area information center that contracts with the commission to provide Texas Information and Referral Network operations must be accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization.

SECTION 3. Sections 531.0313(a) and (b), Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a) The Texas Information and Referral Network may develop an Internet site to provide information to the public regarding the health and human services provided by public or private entities throughout the state. An Internet site developed under this section must be user-friendly and regularly updated to ensure the Internet site's interface supports the navigation needs of the site's users.

(b) The material in the Texas Information and Referral Network Internet site must be:

(1) geographically indexed and designed to inform an individual about the health and human services provided in the area where the individual lives; [. The material must be]

(2) further indexed by type of service provided within each geographic area; and

(3) organized in such a way that the public can search and navigate through the Internet site with ease.

SECTION 4. If before implementing any provision of this Act a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is granted.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the legislative session.