Pursuant to House Rule 1, Section 17, attached are the interim committee charges for the 87th Legislature. These charges, which reflect a variety of issues facing the state, are the result of my conversations with you in recent weeks and build upon the work accomplished during the most recent legislative sessions. The charges will help guide the House heading into the 88th Legislature, as committees gain input from Texans, research potential legislative solutions, and recommend policies to the full House chamber.
Committee on Human Services
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the
implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active
oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the
intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- Legislation implementing the Healthy Families, Healthy Texas initiative, including:
- HB133, relating to the provision of benefits under Medicaid and the Healthy Texas
- Women program; and
- Relevant provisions of HB2658, relating to the administration and operation of the
- Medicaid managed care program, especially those provisions that relate to
- continuous eligibility for a child for Medicaid; and
- HB 3041, related to the implementation of the Family Preservation Services Pilot Program.
- Complete study of assigned charges related to the Texas-Mexico border issued in June 2021.
- Evaluate current prevention and early intervention programs and make recommendations for
improving the effectiveness of these programs in reducing child abuse and neglect.
- Monitor implementation of SB1, Rider 30 (Health and Human Services Commission) and
make recommendations for reducing the interest list for waiver services for Individuals with
Intellectual Disabilities and reducing associated staffing shortages.
- Evaluate further action needed to improve the safety and quality of the foster care system,
including preventing children in foster care from being without a placement and increasing
recruitment of foster families. Identify methods to strengthen Child Protective Services
processes and services, focusing on efforts for family preservation and eliminating fatalities
within the foster care system. This evaluation should:
- Study the causes for children without placement;
- Assess the safety concerns for children without placement, including the use of out-of-state and temporary emergency placement for children without placement; injuries while in the care of Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) employees;
and exposure to child sex trafficking; and
- Study how and why children without placement frequently enter the juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems and the steps DFPS is taking to identify and prevent these instances.
- Assess the quality and effectiveness of the DFPS IMPACT system for security, transparency,
and accuracy. Review DFPS processes relating to the integrity of digital case management.
Evaluate whether DFPS data collection adequately responds to child wellbeing indicators.
- Examine the long-term services and support system of care in Texas. Study workforce
challenges for both institutional and community services. Assess opportunities to improve
patient safety at senior living facilities. Consider mechanisms to promote a stable, sustainable,
and quality-based long-term care system to address current and future needs of the state.
- Monitor federal decisions that may impact the delivery and financial stability of the state’s
health programs, including: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ rescission of its
prior approval of the State’s 1115 Waiver, the state and federal negotiations of the Medicaid
directed payment programs (including hospital finance methods), federal changes to the
Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Program and the exclusion of certain costs from the
uncompensated care program authorized through the 1115 Waiver.
Committee on Insurance
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- HB 18, relating to the establishment of the prescription drug savings program for certain uninsured individuals;
- HB 3459, relating to preauthorization requirements for certain health care services and utilization review for certain health benefit plans;
- HB 3752, relating to the offering of health benefit coverage by subsidiaries of the Texas Mutual Insurance Company; and
- HB 3924, relating to health benefits offered by certain nonprofit agricultural organizations.
- Review existing state laws, administrative regulations, and agency practices to identify barriers to competition in the insurance marketplace. Examine existing business practices in the industry to determine if additional laws or regulations are needed to promote competition, lower premiums, and protect consumers.
- Monitor the implementation, compliance, and enforcement of legislation related to freestanding emergency rooms to determine whether patients are adequately protected and if further safeguards and disclosures are needed.
- Review Texas’ insurance anti-rebating laws and model legislation related to rebates. Make recommendations for legislation that would preserve the purpose of the current statute while allowing certain services for and benefits to insurance consumers.
- Study the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and the federal No Surprises Act (2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Public Law No. 116-620) on the Texas insurance market
Committee on Public Health
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- HB 4, relating to the provision and delivery of telemedicine and telehealth services; and
- HB 1616, relating to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
- Complete study of assigned charges related to the Texas-Mexico border issued in June 2021.
- Study the impact of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths in Texas. Evaluate existing data collection, dissemination, and mitigation strategies regarding opioid abuse in Texas. Make recommendations to improve coordinated prevention, education, treatment, and data-sharing.
- Study current telemedicine trends by assessing and making recommendations related to standardizing required documentation healthcare providers must obtain for consent for treatment, data collection, sharing and retention schedules, and providing telemedicine medical services to certain cancer patients receiving pain management services and supportive palliative care.
- Examine existing resources and available opportunities to strengthen the state’s nursing and other health professional workforce, including rural physicians and nurses.
- Assess ongoing challenges in the rural health care system and the impact of legislation and funding from the 87th regular and special sessions on strengthening rural health care and the sustainability of rural hospitals and health care providers. Evaluate federal regulations authorizing the creation of a Rural Emergency Hospital provider type and determine if promoting this type of facility could increase local access to care in rural areas of the state.
For the other committee charges see: 2022 House Interim Charges.pdf
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