HBA-NLM C.S.H.B. 3693 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 3693
By: Hunter
Human Services
4/4/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, regulations allow the Department of Humans Services to license
Medicaid beds that are committed to the care of patients with Alzheimer's
and are affiliated with a medical school operated by the state, are engaged
in research, and that separate patients according to the  stage of the
disease and the functional level of the patient. However, there are no
provisions that allow for care of traditional nursing home patients under
similar circumstances. The purpose of this bill is to allow for a portion
of  the traditional nursing beds to be designated as Medicaid to adequately
and fairly treat all segments of the geriatric population. 

C.S.H.B. 3693 authorizes the department to exempt a nursing facility from
the procedures established under this section if the facility is affiliated
with a state-supported medical school, located on land owned or controlled
by the school, and serves as teaching facility for physicians and related
health care professionals.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 32.0213, Human Resources Code, by adding
Subsection (c), as follows: 

(c)  Authorizes the Health and Human Services Commission to exempt a
nursing facility from the procedures established under this section if the
facility is affiliated with a statesupported medical school, located on
land owned or controlled by the school, and serves as teaching facility for
physicians and related health care professionals.  

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
            Effective date: upon passage.



COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3693 modifies the original to conform to Legislative Council
format and to authorize the Health and Human Services Commission to exempt
a nursing facility from the procedures established under this section if
the facility is affiliated with a state-supported medical school, located
on land owned or controlled by the school, and serves as teaching facility
for physicians and related health care professionals.  

The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 2 by modifying the
emergency clause to provide that this Act takes effect upon passage. 

The substitute deletes SECTION 3 (effective date) of the original.