Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. According to the Department of Aging and Disability Services, the new regulatory requirements can be handled with existing resources as the agency expects the number of providers to be small. The Health and Human Services Commission does not anticipate a significant cost to implement the provisions of the bill.
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Current law requires a person to hold a
license issued by the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) before he or she can own or operate a prescribed
pediatric extended care center (PPECC) in Texas.
The bill would amend Chapter 248A of the
Health and Safety Code by establishing a procedure for issuing initial,
renewal, and temporary licenses. Temporary licenses would be issued, upon
request, for applicants whose initial license applications are pending approval
from DARS. A temporary license would authorize an applicant to provide
nonresidential basic services to a maximum of six minors until the temporary
license expires or terminates. In order to be granted a temporary license, the
applicant would be required to meet the license application requirements of
Sections 248A.052 (a) and (b) in addition to building standards and any other
requirements in the department’s review process. DARS would be authorized to
take enforcement action and conduct a complaint investigation and inspection
against a temporary license holder if he or she fails to comply with Chapter 248 and any rules
adopted under the chapter.
The bill would authorize a minor to be
unaccompanied by a minor’s parent, legal guardian, or managing conservator when
receiving services in the PPECC and when being
transported to and from the center. The bill would require that nursing
services provided by PPECCs be a one-to-one replacement of private duty nursing
or other skilled nursing services unless additional nursing services are
medically necessary.
The primary objective of the legislation is to establish a provisional license issuance procedure for prescribed pediatric extended day care centers (PPECCs). Licenses are already required to own or operate a PPECC. This bill would simply allow a PPECC to provide medical, nursing, psychosocial, therapeutic, and developmental services to six minors while the initial application is pending DARS approval. Since HB 2340 neither abridges nor advances our liberty principles, we remain neutral.