Bill Text: TX SB1693 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to a study of seniors with a visual impairment by the Aging Texas Well Advisory Committee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective immediately [SB1693 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB1693-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to a study of seniors with a visual impairment by the Aging Texas Well Advisory Committee.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective immediately [SB1693 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB1693-Introduced.html
85R8548 SCL-D | ||
By: Lucio | S.B. No. 1693 |
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relating to the establishment of the Seniors with a Visual | ||
Impairment Task Force. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. (a) In this section, "task force" means the | ||
Seniors with a Visual Impairment Task Force. | ||
(b) The Department of State Health Services shall establish | ||
the Seniors with a Visual Impairment Task Force to develop and make | ||
recommendations for providing services to the growing number of | ||
seniors in this state with a visual impairment. | ||
(c) The commissioner of state health services shall appoint | ||
an odd number of members to the task force. The commissioner may | ||
only appoint a person who volunteers to serve on the task force. | ||
The commissioner must appoint members who represent: | ||
(1) an applicable state agency; | ||
(2) a nonprofit organization; | ||
(3) a health care provider association; | ||
(4) an insurance association; | ||
(5) a physician association; | ||
(6) a transportation service provider; | ||
(7) a consumer group; and | ||
(8) the state demographer. | ||
(d) A task force member is not entitled to compensation for | ||
service on the task force but is entitled to reimbursement for | ||
actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing task force | ||
duties. The task force may accept gifts, grants, and donations to | ||
pay for those expenses. | ||
(e) The commissioner of state health services shall | ||
designate a member of the task force to serve as presiding officer. | ||
The members of the task force shall elect any other necessary | ||
officers. | ||
(f) The task force shall meet at least quarterly at the call | ||
of the presiding officer. | ||
(g) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, or any | ||
other law, the task force may meet by telephone conference call, | ||
videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method. A | ||
meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or | ||
other similar telecommunication method is subject to the | ||
requirements of Sections 551.125(c), (d), (e), and (f), Government | ||
Code. | ||
(h) The task force shall conduct a study to determine the | ||
projected growth and geographic distribution of seniors with a | ||
visual impairment in the next 5 to 10 years and methods for | ||
improving and expanding services to those seniors. The study must: | ||
(1) identify the barriers to expanding health care | ||
services to seniors with a visual impairment; | ||
(2) include methods for expanding coordination | ||
efforts with and involvement by public and private entities; | ||
(3) recommend a training curriculum for state agency | ||
personnel who provide direct intervention and independent living | ||
services to seniors with a visual impairment; and | ||
(4) determine potential public and private | ||
collaborators that provide services to seniors with a visual | ||
impairment, including: | ||
(A) assessing the current level of | ||
collaboration; | ||
(B) identifying the barriers preventing a | ||
greater level of collaboration than the current level of | ||
collaboration; | ||
(C) identifying the methods, additional | ||
incentives, and additional benefits this state may offer to | ||
increase collaboration, coordination, and partnerships; | ||
(D) determining the role of public and private | ||
entities that provide services to persons with a visual impairment | ||
who are not blind; and | ||
(E) establishing methods for incentivizing | ||
private entities to provide services to seniors with a visual | ||
impairment. | ||
(i) The task force shall develop, in collaboration with | ||
private entities and other organizations that assist individuals | ||
with a visual impairment, methods to publicize the services | ||
available to seniors with a visual impairment. The Department of | ||
State Health Services may solicit and accept funding for and | ||
contract with a private entity for implementing a task force | ||
recommendation under this subsection. | ||
(j) The task force shall develop recommendations to address | ||
the problems of seniors with a visual impairment. The | ||
recommendations must be in the form of a new initiative, an | ||
immediate proposed regulatory change by a state agency, a proposed | ||
statutory amendment, or a suggested funding level. | ||
(k) The task force shall develop and submit a written report | ||
on the study, publicity methods, and recommendations developed by | ||
the task force to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the | ||
speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the | ||
legislature not later than November 1, 2018. | ||
(l) The task force is abolished and this Act expires June 1, | ||
2019. | ||
SECTION 2. 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 September 1, 2017. |