Bill Text: TX HB3762 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing a nutritional support grant program for certain medically fragile children.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-20 - Referred to Human Services [HB3762 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB3762-Introduced.html
| 88R13113 SCP-D | ||
| By: Bucy | H.B. No. 3762 | |
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| relating to establishing a nutritional support grant program for | ||
| certain medically fragile children. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 33, Human Resources Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter C to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER C. NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN | ||
| MEDICALLY FRAGILE CHILDREN | ||
| Sec. 33.101. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
| (1) "Grant program" means the nutritional support | ||
| grant program for medically fragile children established under this | ||
| subchapter. | ||
| (2) "Medically fragile child" means a person younger | ||
| than 18 years of age who is: | ||
| (A) chronically ill or disabled and requires | ||
| indefinite skilled nursing care to maintain the person's existence | ||
| in the person's home; | ||
| (B) temporarily ill or disabled because of | ||
| premature birth, accident, or trauma and has experienced a | ||
| temporary lifestyle change requiring skilled nursing care; | ||
| (C) suffering from uncontrollable seizures or | ||
| other chronic illness; or | ||
| (D) chronically dependent on medical devices to | ||
| perform vital bodily functions. | ||
| Sec. 33.102. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. The executive | ||
| commissioner by rule shall develop and implement a grant program to | ||
| provide financial assistance to the families of medically fragile | ||
| children who have been diagnosed with a rare or unique disease or | ||
| medical condition for the purpose of assisting families in paying | ||
| the costs associated with providing specialized nutritional | ||
| support for that child. | ||
| Sec. 33.103. ELIGIBILITY. (a) The executive commissioner | ||
| by rule shall establish eligibility criteria for awarding grants | ||
| under the grant program. The criteria must provide that for a person | ||
| to be eligible for a grant, the person must: | ||
| (1) be the parent and primary caregiver of a medically | ||
| fragile child with a rare or unique disease or medical condition | ||
| that requires specialized nutritional support, including enteral | ||
| nutrition; and | ||
| (2) lack or have inadequate health benefit plan | ||
| coverage to pay the costs associated with providing that support. | ||
| (b) The executive commissioner by rule shall identify the | ||
| diagnoses considered rare and unique for purposes of Subsection | ||
| (a)(1). | ||
| (c) The executive commissioner may not impose income | ||
| eligibility requirements under the grant program. | ||
| Sec. 33.104. AWARD OF GRANTS. (a) The commission may | ||
| approve grants according to commission rules. | ||
| (b) A grant awarded under this subchapter is governed by | ||
| Chapter 783, Government Code, and rules adopted under that chapter. | ||
| Sec. 33.105. FUNDING. The commission shall award grants as | ||
| provided by this subchapter from available money and any additional | ||
| money appropriated for this purpose. | ||
| Sec. 33.106. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The commission | ||
| may accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source that are | ||
| made for the purposes of the grant program. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2024, the executive | ||
| commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall | ||
| adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter C, Chapter 33, Human | ||
| Resources Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
