Bill Text: TX SB2223 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to establishing pilot program to offer assistance for older adults diagnosed with severe vision loss.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-04-03 - Co-author authorized [SB2223 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SB2223-Introduced.html

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By: Menéndez S.B. No. 2223

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to establishing pilot program to offer assistance for
older adults diagnosed with severe vision loss.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sec. 117.080, Human Resources Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The department shall ensure that all services provided
under the independent living services program that the department
operates under Title VII of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C. Section 796 et seq.) are directly provided by centers for
independent living, except as provided by Subsection (b), and are
not directly provided by the department.
(b) If an area of the state does not have a center for
independent living, or no center for independent living in that
area is able to provide certain necessary services under the
independent living services program, the department shall seek to
identify a center for independent living that is willing and able to
contract with a nonprofit organization or other person to provide
the independent living services in the area under the program. If
no center for independent living is willing and able to contract
with another organization or other person, the department may
directly contract with an organization or other person who is not a
center for independent living to provide the independent living
services in the area under the program.
(c) The department shall evaluate the independent living
services provided by a center for independent living and shall
provide necessary training or technical assistance to help the
center for independent living expand its capacity to provide a full
range of independent living services.
(1) In the department review, the department shall
establish major cities who have the ability to offer day-time
classes teaching independent living skills. These major
cities may establish a pilot program to conduct these classes
for older adults diagnosed with severe vision loss.
(d) The department shall monitor the performance of each
center for independent living in providing independent living
services, including how the center for independent living monitors
the performance of the organizations and other persons with whom it
contracts to provide independent living services.
(e) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules to
implement this section that include:
(1) an equitable and transparent methodology for
allocating funds to centers for independent living under the
independent living services program;
(2) requirements applicable to the department in
contracting with centers for independent living to provide
independent living services under the program;
(3) requirements applicable to centers for
independent living in contracting with organizations and other
persons to provide independent living services under the program;
(4) requirements applicable to the department in
contracting with organizations or other persons who are not centers
for independent living to provide independent living services under
the program;
(5) a process for the department to monitor
independent living services contracts;
(6) guidelines on the department's role in providing
technical assistance and training to centers for independent living
as necessary; and
(7) expectations for department employees to refer
persons who contact the department seeking independent living
services to centers for independent living.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect September 1, 2023.