See below for a spotlight on House and Senate interim charges related to health care organized by committee.
House
Appropriations Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Supporting and expanding rural health care
- Funding to implement the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
Delivery of Government Efficiency Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 3963, relating to an early childhood integrated data system
- Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Study methods by which the state can leverage technology, including artificial intelligence, to detect fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer resources.
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veteran Affairs Committee – Subcommittee on Defense and Veterans’ Affairs
- Veteran Mental Health Programs: Monitor the implementation of HB 114, relating to the transfer of functions relating to certain veteran mental health programs and plans to the Texas Veterans Commission. Conduct active oversight to ensure the efficient and effective transfer of authority, funding, personnel, and administrative responsibilities.
Human Services Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 26, relating to authorizing Medicaid managed care organizations to offer nutrition support services in lieu of other state Medicaid plan services;
- HB 109, relating to the construction, expansion, and operation of certain inpatient mental health facilities and the designation of residential treatment facilities for certain juveniles;
- HB 136, relating to Medicaid coverage and reimbursement for lactation consultation services;
- SB 379, relating to prohibiting the purchase of sweetened drinks and candy under the supplemental nutrition assistance program; and
- SB 513, relating to a rural community-based care pilot program.
- Provision of Services for Texans With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Evaluate the availability of services for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including service coordination, Home and Community-Based Services, and the functionality of the waiver interest list. Ensure vulnerable Texans are protected by the current regulatory landscape and make recommendations for improvements.
- Targeted and Meaningful Child Welfare Services for Families: Ensure that families involved with the Department of Family and Protective Services receive services that promote family stabilization and reunification, as appropriate. Study the availability of services across the state and make recommendations to improve service delivery and outcomes for families, including services to ensure the stability of kinship placements.
- Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Ensure government services provided by agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, efficiently serve eligible Texans. Evaluate barriers to efficient service provision for both clients and the providers of services, particularly the enrollment and credentialing of Medicaid providers. Review current efforts to identify and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, and consider additional measures to reduce costs to taxpayers.
- Ensuring Transparency in the Adoption Process and Providing Post-Adoptive Supports for Former Foster Youth: Evaluate legal requirements and policies for private adoptions to increase transparency and protect the rights of both adoptive families and biological parents. Review the provision and availability of services available to adoptive families of former foster youth to ensure successful adoptions and make recommendations to address unmet needs.
- Protecting Due Process and Civil Rights in Child Protective Services Investigations: Monitor the consistency of practices in child protective services investigations and make improvements related to determinations of abuse and neglect, notification of rights, and access to information and records regarding investigations and case progression. Evaluate the use of the Central Abuse Registry and develop proposals to improve due process reviews.
Insurance Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 138, relating to the establishment of the Health Impact, Cost, and Coverage Analysis Program
- Health Benefits for Small and Midsize Employers: Study primary cost drivers affecting employer-sponsored health plans and evaluate the downstream impacts on employee access to coverage. Identify policy options that allow for flexibility, innovative benefit design, and encourage market competition. Make recommendations to improve the availability of affordable coverage options for employers.
- Federal Policy Impacts: Evaluate both the direct and indirect impacts of federal health-related policy and programs on consumers and the state, including those related to health coverage access and affordability, health insurance product adaptation and innovation, network adequacy, and administrative costs and compliance. Determine whether state statutory or regulatory changes are needed.
- Prompt Payment: Review the prompt payment of insurance claims. Evaluate the effectiveness of applicable statutes and administrative rules and assess whether insurers are complying with these requirements. Identify the need for enhanced oversight or additional enforcement mechanisms to ensure the prompt payment of claims.
Intergovernmental Affairs Committee
- Mental Health Impacts, Homelessness, and System Recidivism: Study and evaluate the relationship between mental health conditions, homelessness, and the criminal justice system. Examine the availability of specialized high-acuity beds for the homeless, specifically for those with severe mental illness, addiction, and complex medical conditions. Make recommendations regarding pre-arrest diversion, alternatives to inpatient hospitalization, and best practices for sharing data to reduce recidivism.
Intergovernmental Affairs Committee – Subcommittee on County and Regional Government
- Medical Examiner Expansion: Examine the statutory framework governing county medical examiner offices in Texas, including the population threshold and authorization for intercounty medical examiner districts. Evaluate the number of counties that maintain medical examiner offices and those that rely on justices of the peace. Assess how this framework affects the consistency, timeliness, and professional quality of death investigations across counties and consider potential statutory reforms to strengthen statewide capacity.
Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee
- Gender Modification and Health Care Liability: Study limitations on a health care liability claim involving certain gender modification drugs provided to and procedures performed on a minor. Review the effectiveness of those provisions and make recommendations to update current law.
- Court-Ordered Mental Health Services: Review the process, criteria, duration, outcome, and necessity of court-ordered mental health services for families and children, including reunification therapies. Evaluate the availability and appointment of such providers. Analyze the effectiveness of these services and the financial burden they can impose. Determine if these mandated services and providers infringe on parental rights.
Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas Review: Review the actuarial soundness of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, including current contribution levels, defined benefit plan assumptions, and projected liabilities to ensure the long-term financial stability of the system. Evaluate the impact of basing employer contributions on total payroll, options to increase parity in the contribution rates for all entities, and the impact of benefit enhancements.
- Employees Retirement System of Texas Review: Review the actuarial soundness of the Employees Retirement System of Texas, including current contribution levels, plan assumptions, and projected liabilities to ensure the long-term financial stability of the system. Examine past annuitant cost-of-living adjustments, and the impact of one-time and long-term benefit increases.
Public Health Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 18, relating to the establishment and administration of certain programs and services providing health care services to rural counties;
- HB 37, relating to perinatal bereavement care provided by certain hospitals, a perinatal bereavement care initiative, and a perinatal bereavement care hospital recognition program;
- HB 3000, relating to a grant program to provide financial assistance to qualified ambulance service providers in certain rural counties;
- SB 25, relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living, including requirements for food labeling, primary and secondary education, higher education, and continuing education for certain health care professionals; and
- SB 2308, relating to the establishment of a consortium to conduct United States Food and Drug Administration’s drug development clinical trials with ibogaine to secure the administration’s approval of the medication’s use for treatment of opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorder, and any other neurological or mental health conditions for which ibogaine demonstrates efficacy and to the administration of that treatment.
- Texas Rural Health Transformation Program: Study the implementation and impact of federal funding awarded to Texas under the Rural Health Transformation Program. Review the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s program applications, processes, and use of funds. Assess how the program may affect access to care, rural health care delivery, behavioral health and telehealth services, workforce stability, and provider sustainability. Identify opportunities to improve program oversight and maximize its long-term effectiveness.
- Social Media’s Impact on Youth Health and Well-Being: Study the impact of social media platforms and artificial intelligence technologies on the mental health, cognitive development, and behavioral well-being of minors in Texas.
- Artificial Intelligence Use in Health Care: Study the use of artificial intelligence in the health care system to improve access, quality, and efficiency of care, while evaluating potential risks to patient safety, privacy, and access to care for Texans.
- Public Health Trends and Prevention: Review current data on communicable diseases and emerging public health threats in Texas. Examine strategies to address rising rates of chronic diseases. Evaluate effective interventions for substance use disorders. Study opportunities to reduce morbidity and mortality among Texans.
- Texas Health Care Workforce: Review the current and projected health care workforce shortage in Texas and make recommendations to reduce its impact on access to care and service delivery.
- Telehealth: Evaluate the use of telehealth and virtual care models in Texas, including their impact on access, cost, quality, and patient outcomes, and recommend opportunities to modernize health care technology.
- Infant Mortality Prevention: Study infant mortality rates in Texas. Consider evidence-based prevention strategies and make recommendations to reduce preventable infant deaths. Examine interventions, including coordinated infant mortality prevention infrastructure addressing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), and complications from preterm birth and low birthweight.
Select Committee on Health Care Affordability
- Evaluate health care cost drivers, including statutory, regulatory and administrative burdens, and the impact of fraud, waste, and abuse.
- Study potential improvements to the delivery system and emerging financing models that reduce the cost of health care.
- Evaluate the impact insurance design, cost sharing, market structure, and payment policies have on consumers and employers. Consider opportunities to encourage flexibility and innovation in plan design to improve affordability while maintaining access to quality care.
- Identify options that eliminate barriers for small and midsize employers to offer health care coverage.
- Examine the impact of consolidation on patient choice, market competition, and price and value in health care services.
- Review the level of consumer transparency in health care markets to ensure consumers have access to clear, accurate, and actionable information on prices, benefits, and out-of-pocket costs. Recommend ways to improve consumer engagement and encourage opportunities to evaluate the cost and quality of health care.
- Review the implementation of prior legislation and other legislative efforts to reduce the price of health care and make recommendations to support and improve their effectiveness.
Senate
Business and Commerce Committee
- Strengthening Regulatory Oversight and Access to Affordable Insurance for Texans: Evaluate the rising cost of property and casualty insurance in Texas. Consider the stability and competitiveness of the Texas insurance market, insurer participation, and coverage availability to meet consumer demand. Make recommendations to increase affordability, improve reporting to strengthen consumer protections, and support timely regulatory and legislative responses.
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Senate Bill 815 (89th Legislature), relating to the use of certain automated systems in, and certain adverse determinations made in connection with, the health benefit claims process
Criminal Justice Committee
- Protecting the Public From Violent Offenders Found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity: Examine the policies and procedures of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) regarding murderers, robbers, rapists, and other violent offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity and entrusted to HHSC for mental health treatment in lieu of prison. Evaluate the community supervision recommendations made by HHSC to the courts for those found not guilty by reason of insanity, and whether those recommendations prioritize public safety. Make recommendations to emphasize and ensure public safety for victims and the community.
Education Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- House Bill 6 (89th Legislature), relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public.
Finance Committee
- Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Review state agencies’ strategies to detect and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse. Quantify the fiscal impact of financial impropriety on the state budget. Identify high-risk areas such as entitlement programs, contracted services, and technology contracts. Assess prevention and recovery efforts, including data analytics, reporting mechanisms, financial recoveries, and prosecutions. Make recommendations to strengthen oversight and better protect public funds.
Health and Human Services Committee
- Protecting Taxpayer Funds – Preventing Fraud and Abuse: In support of Governor Abbott’s call to action to eliminate fraud, explore and recommend ways to prevent fraud and abuse in Texas human service programs including, but not limited to, Medicaid and Child Care Services programs.
- Addressing Societal Impacts of THC Product Consumption: Study the impact of THC on increased health care costs, mental health emergency detentions, and the risk of being diagnosed with a THC-induced psychotic disorder. Make recommendations to decrease health care and criminal justice costs.
- Strengthening Crisis Related Mental Health and Homelessness Services: Determine the state’s authority and procedures for providing public mental health services and the intersection of those services with homelessness and addiction. Evaluate the effectiveness, consistency, and outcomes of competency restoration for criminally charged individuals awaiting trial, as well as processes for civil in-patient and out-patient commitments. Make recommendations to prioritize the most acute populations for treatment in order to reduce public safety threats.
- Rising Health Care and Insurance Costs: Examine the drivers of rising health care costs in Texas. Consider whether certain providers and models for health care services, including, but not limited to, Pharmacy Benefit Managers and health care facility fees, have resulted in business practices that are contributing to rising health care costs and insurance premiums. Identify ways to lower the cost of health care and increase market flexibility, drawing on additional product offerings like Health Savings Accounts and new flexible plans.
- Combating the Exploitation of Surrogacy: Examine the unethical and foreign interests exploiting the surrogacy and fertility industries in Texas. Make recommendations to end this exploitation and related harm to patients and children.
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Mental health programs and services provided through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium;
- The Department of Family and Protective Services Abuse and Neglect Central Registry;
- Senate Bill 25 (89th Legislature), relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living, including requirements for food labeling, primary and secondary education, higher education, and continuing education for certain health care professionals; authorizing a civil penalty;
- Senate Bill 331 (89th Legislature), relating to the disclosure of health care cost information by certain health care facilities; imposing an administrative penalty;
- Senate Bill 1236 (89th Legislature), relating to the relationship between pharmacists or pharmacies and health benefit plan issuers or pharmacy benefit managers;
- Senate Bill 1 (89th Legislature, Second Called Session), relating to campground and youth camp safety;
- House Bill 3595 (89th Legislature), relating to an emergency preparedness and contingency operations plan, including temperature regulation, for assisted living facility residents during an emergency; providing penalties; and
- Other legislation related to health care costs
Select Committee on Veteran Affairs
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Senate Bill 1814 (89th Legislature), relating to the transfer of functions relating to certain veteran mental health programs and plans to the Texas Veterans Commission
