Human Services

SB 1522 amends Texas Health and Safety Code sections 246.002 and 246.0025 to clarify definitions related to continuing care facilities. It defines key terms like "entrance fee" (excluding deposits), "living unit," and "continuing care" to specify that it includes guaranteed access to progressive health services through third parties or at separate facilities. The bill directly affects residents and providers under continuing care contracts, standardizing how these agreements are legally described. It does not create new requirements but establishes clearer terminology for regulatory consistency. The bill was signed into law and takes effect January 1, 2026.

SB 500 amends Texas adoption laws to improve access to a child's health, social, educational, and genetic history for prospective adoptive parents. It requires agencies like the Department of Family and Protective Services to compile this information within 45 days after a child's adoption plan is set or parental rights end, and to provide it to adoptive parents within 90 days of their request. The bill mandates redacting sensitive details like social security numbers and protecting identities of biological parents, siblings, or those who reported abuse, while requiring adoptive parents to sign a nondisclosure agreement before receiving confidential details. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

This bill modifies Texas Medicaid payment rules for nursing facilities. It requires Medicaid to pay facilities within 10 days of a clean claim submission, enforces a patient care expense ratio, and mandates reductions in preventable events and unnecessary institutionalizations. Nursing facilities must comply with these standards to maintain Medicaid participation, while Medicaid managed care organizations must provide discharge planning, assist with income collection, and offer payment incentives for cost-reducing initiatives. A new claims portal system is also established for submitting claims to Medicaid managed care organizations. The bill directly affects nursing facilities receiving Medicaid payments and the managed care organizations administering those programs.

SB 502 adds a new category to Texas law defining who qualifies as a peace officer: employees commissioned by the Health and Human Services Commission’s office of inspector general. This change grants these specific HHS inspectors authority to perform standard peace officer duties, such as making arrests, within their scope of work. The bill also requires these officers to be paid according to Schedule C of the state’s position classification salary schedule. Additionally, it updates the definition of "state employee" to include these HHS inspector general officers.

SB 1383 regulates referral agencies that connect seniors with senior living communities by requiring them to provide clear written disclosures to consumers at the time of referral. The bill mandates that disclosures include details about services, who pays the referral fee (consumer or community), and the consumer's right to stop using the service without penalty. It also prohibits referral agencies from using cost as the sole factor in selecting a community and prevents senior living communities from being forced to contract with referral agencies. This law directly affects referral agencies, seniors seeking housing options, and senior living communities by establishing transparency and consumer protections.