(transcribed from Rep. Naishtat’s notes; he deviated somewhat from his written text).
Members, this bill goes too far too fast and moves Texas in the wrong direction, regarding the delivery of crucial health and human services. We are voting on a massive consolidation of health and human services agencies with no real public input.
This legislation is not the result of the sunset review process or interim studies, or even the deliberations of relevant health and human services substantive committees. This bill would save General Revenue, but we would lose $4 billion in federal funds over the next five years.
This bill would result in too much consolidation of power in the health and human services commissioner and governor, with inadequate accountability to the public and the Legislature.
The current system of health and human services’ rulemaking agency boards, which has worked well for decades, will be abolished.
The bill cuts state employees by nearly 3,000 and opens the door to wholesale privatization of frontline services for our most vulnerable Texans.
There is potential for lengthy, harmful disruptions of services and the elimination of local access to agency offices.
There are major restrictive, harsh, punitive changes to C.H.I.P. and mental health services programs. For example, C.H.I.P. changes still reduce eligibility substantially, and would leave hundreds of thousands of children without coverage for mental health services, physical therapy, wheelchairs, braces, prosthesis, or speech therapy.
Over 200,000 low-income children would lose all of their C.H.I.P. coverage. Another example is that dramatic, draconian sanctions would be imposed on cash assistance recipients, including children, for any minor infraction or violation of the rules.
Another example is that this bill would limit local centers to treating only three specific psychiatric disorders, leaving almost 17,000 current clients without services.
Maybe we need to reorganize our health and human services delivery system, and maybe we need to improve our C.H.I.P. and mental health services programs.
But not this way, and certainly not with this bill.
This article appears in May 2 • 2003.