89R1548 SCF-D

By: Bucy H.B. No. 555

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 526.0004, Government Code, as effective April 1, 2025, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (f) and (g) to read as follows:

(a) The Texas Information and Referral Network is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing 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 the clients made; 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 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 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 network Internet website established under Section 526.0005.

SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 526, Government Code, as effective April 1, 2025, is amended by adding Section 526.00041 to read as follows:

Sec. 526.00041. AREA INFORMATION CENTERS: ACCREDITATION REQUIRED. An area information center that contracts with the commission to provide network operations must be accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization.

SECTION 3. Sections 526.0005(a) and (b), Government Code, as effective April 1, 2025, are amended to read as follows:

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

(b) The material on the network Internet website must be:

(1) geographically indexed, including by type of service provided within each geographic area; [and]

(2) designed to inform an individual about the health and human services provided in the area in which the individual lives; and

(3) organized in such a way that the public can search and navigate through the website 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 September 1, 2025.